


Kittens ~N~ Kilts

by thatwriterlady



Series: The Kilt Kink [2]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: But he loves Ben like he is, Castel falls in love with Dean, Castiel wears kilts, Dean falls hard for Castiel, Dean falls in love with Castiel, Dean is not Ben's dad, Dean loves Castiel in kilts, Emotionally stable Dean, Falling In Love, Feels, First Kiss, Flirting, Fluff, Kittens, M/M, Neighbors, No feelings remain, Past Lisa Braeden/Dean Winchester, Professor Castiel, Smut, Veterinarian Dean, Your teeth might rot out reading this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-29
Updated: 2016-02-17
Packaged: 2018-05-17 00:18:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 28,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5846599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatwriterlady/pseuds/thatwriterlady
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean is a vet living in an apartment alone in a building full of some colorful people, like the crazy book hoarder Marv that lives in the apartment next door, and the elderly lady upstairs who tints her hair bright purple and tells everyone it's lavender.  The apartment across the hall has sat empty for the last year, until the gorgeous guy that always wears kilts moves in.  So maybe Dean watches him coming and going, and maybe he sees the man sneaking into the building one day with a kitten in his sporran.  The building has a no pet policy.  At least Dean has a reason to strike up a conversation with the man that has the bluest eyes he's ever seen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Meeting the Neighbor

**Author's Note:**

> Fluffy goodness here. No, Dean is NOT in a relationship with Lisa at any point in this story. They dated years earlier but were never in love, so they split, but he remained in Ben's life, raising the boy like his own, so for those that are only into Destiel, that's EXACTLY what this is. It's just Cas and Dean in this story, but yes, they both had lives before they met one another. Just putting that out there.
> 
> *It has now been beta'd. Thank you Monijune!
> 
> Enjoy! This will go up in chapters. No set schedule yet for posting as I'm also dealing with two other WIP's, but those that know me, they know I'm good about getting next chapters up and not abandoning my fics.

**MONDAY**

He wasn’t staring, really he wasn’t, but it wasn’t every day that you saw a guy in a kilt in Lawrence Kansas, and when you did, they were almost never _this_ attractive. Truth be told, unless he’d been watching a movie, Dean had never seen a kilt in real life before. And then _this_ guy moved in across the hall. The building was filled with colorful characters, like Mrs. Needleman in 302 who “tinted” her hair purple every month, but resembled Barney the Dinosaur when she did, and ole Marv who lived in the apartment next to Dean. He actually worried Dean. The man went in to his apartment constantly with piles of books, but Dean never saw him take any out. He pictured the place looking like a hoarder’s paradise, floor to ceiling mazes of books. It was good thing ole Marv wasn’t a smoker…

The new guy had moved in six weeks ago but so far Dean hadn’t worked up the courage to say hello. He also hadn’t had the time, not with the extra hours he was putting in at work. Apartment living sucked and he was ready for a house of his own. For years he had thought a single man buying a house just for himself was strange, but the older he got, the more he understood. His own house meant quiet, it meant no weird neighbors within breathing distance, no listening to fights in the halls, no one knocking on his door drunk in the middle of the night, and it meant that he could actually make real changes. Here he couldn’t even so much as paint the walls, the landlord wouldn’t permit it. But that wasn’t going to be a concern for much longer. No, he was saving every dime, every penny for a down payment. There was a nice, roomy house a few blocks away that he had toured twice already. He knew the issues and knew he could fix them, and the owners were being wonderfully patient in letting him gather up the money for that down payment. Soon he would be the proud owner of a three bedroom, two bath house with a huge fenced in yard and a garden. Not exactly where he pictured himself being at thirty five. By now he had pictured himself married with a couple of kids running around, but that hadn’t worked out. He’d tried the whole domestic thing with Lisa, twice actually, and the second time was for an entire year in fact. Raised her son Ben as though the boy were his own, but in the end he had realized he was living a lie. While he had cared about Lisa, he hadn’t been in love with her. It was with a very heavy heart that they had sat down one evening after Ben was in bed and discussed where they saw themselves in five, ten, twenty years, and they both realized that neither saw the other as part of their own futures. Dean went out the next day and got this place. That was five years ago. He still had a good relationship with Ben, that was the one thing he couldn’t give up, and the boy still looked up to him like a father figure, and he wanted a place where Ben could really have a space of his own. Here, it was a one bedroom. When Ben stayed over, he slept on the fold out couch. Dean wanted him to have his own room, a space he could be comfortable in. Sure, the boy technically wasn’t his, but he loved him as though he was.

Dean had his apartment door cracked again though, and he was watching his new neighbor fumbling for his keys to open his own door. He had seen the guy’s huge Lincoln pulling up in front and opened his door just to catch a glimpse of the man. Really, he wasn’t staring, but…

Something made a mewling sound. Dean opened the door a bit more and listened. The noise got louder.

“Is that a cat?” He blurted. Kilt guy spun around, his eyes, a most stunning shade of blue, were wide as he plastered himself against the yet unopened door. Movement at the guy’s waist caught Dean’s attention and he opened the door the rest of the way, stepping into the hall. Sticking its tiny orange head out of a pouch attached to the man’s belt was…a kitten.

“Shh! Please don’t say anything!” The man begged. His voice was low and gravely, incredibly sexy. It instantly had Dean wondering what the man would sound like in the bedroom, completely wrecked, begging to be touched, to be fucked…

The hall wasn’t all that wide so it only took a few steps until he was right in front of the man. The little kitten looked up at him while blue eyes continued to stare at him in fear.

“Dude, I’m not going to bust you. He’s a cute little guy. Better get him inside.” Dean plucked the keys out of the man’s hand and reached around him to unlock the door. “If Marv sees what you’ve got there he will run crying to the landlord. I’m not an asshole though.”

The door swung open and blue eyes expression turned from one of fear to one of gratitude. But if Dean was reading him right, there was also some interest. 

“I’m Cas.” He offered a hand and Dean shook it.

“Dean. Nice to finally meet you,” Dean smiled and Cas offered a tentative one in return. The kitten mewled again and without thinking, Dean reached down to scratch its head.

“Thank you, Dean. I appreciate your discretion,” Cas said as he took a step back into his apartment. Dean nodded.

“No problem. It was nice meeting you.” Dean smiled as he handed the keys back and crossed the hall to go back to his own apartment. At least he had finally gotten to see the man up close. He was gorgeous, much better looking than Dean had been able to tell from a distance, and it had totally been worth it.


	2. One Little, Two Little...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cas comes to Dean for help not knowing Dean's a vet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not feeling up to witty notes here, so just enjoy the chapter. Well, I HOPE you enjoy it.

**WEDNESDAY**

Dean was reading a veterinary journal on horse breeding when someone knocked at his door. The only people that ever came to visit were Sam or Charlie. Sam was halfway across the country in California, and Charlie he knew was out of town. Curious, he got up to answer it. He cracked the door, surprised to see his hot, kilt-wearing neighbor standing there. Today’s kilt was mustard and black and he wore it with a black dress shirt and oddly enough, a black and white checkered tie. Maybe the guy just didn’t know _how_ to match?

“Hey.” He opened the door more and offered a friendly smile.

“Hello, Dean. Do you happen to know anything about cats?”

“You could say that. I’m a vet. Why, something wrong with your kitten?” Dean asked. A look of surprise and then relief flooded the man’s face.

“Really? You’re a vet? Oh, thank God!”

“Is something going on?” Dean let the door fall open and leaned against the door jamb.

“Yes.” The way he said it made Dean suspicious.

“Would you like me to take a look?”

Cas looked relieved. “Yes, please? I don’t have anyone else to ask. I took some advice from a coworker, and I believe it was incorrect.”

“Sure. Let me put on some shoes and grab my keys.” Dean backed up to grab his keys.

“You don’t need shoes, really,” Cas told him. Dean shrugged and closed the door as he stepped into the hall. 

“So what exactly is going on?” he asked as he followed Cas across the hall and into the other man’s apartment. His eyes quickly scanned the room. There were bookshelves lining three of the living room walls, all crammed with books, a large screen television sitting in front of a worn yet plush looking sofa. The furniture all looked artfully mismatched. It was visually appealing, he had to admit.

“I don’t think I’m feeding the right food? They’re getting sick.” Cas replied as he ushered Dean farther into the apartment. Dean was still focused on the word “they.”

“They? As in more than one or you don’t know the sex of the kitten?” he asked. Cas looked up with a sheepish expression.

“I rescued the kitten’s littermate as well.”

“Oh. You’re risking getting kicked out, you know. You have to be really careful. Pets aren’t allowed in the building, not even goldfish,” Dean warned.

“Yes, I realize that. I am already looking for someplace pet friendly to move to.” Cas motioned for Dean to follow him down the hall. “I’m keeping them in the bathroom for the moment.” He opened the door, and two tiny balls of fluff came toddling out.

“Well aren’t you guys cuties.” Dean reached down to scoop up a black and white kitten while Cas caught the orange one. 

“I believe they are sick. They keep pooping outside of the litter pan and…there are _things_ in their poop. Things that move. It’s really gross. Do I need to take them to a hospital?” Cas asked as he led Dean into the bathroom and closed the door behind them.

“Where did you find them?” Dean asked as he ran his fingers the opposite way the kitten’s fur grew, quickly spotting the flea poop on its skin. A quick check told him that he was holding a little girl.

“I am a professor at the university, and a few days ago I was out back throwing something in the dumpster behind the history building when I heard crying. I found the orange one but only caught glimpses of the one you’re holding. So I brought this one home. Yesterday I put out wet food and lured the black and white one. I don’t know if there are more, I don’t know how old they are, and I did not see a mother cat anywhere. I was out there for hours last night. My knees are all scraped up from being down on all fours trying to look under the dumpsters.” Cas lifted his kilt just enough so Dean could see the scrapes and bruises on his knees.

“Ok, well, I’m thinking they’re about five weeks old, maybe six, and they’re infested with fleas. Let’s get them bathed, that’s the first step.” Dean looked up to find Cas watching him intently. “Do you have Dawn dish soap?”

“No, I’m afraid I don’t, I have a natural soap,” Cas replied.

“Well, lucky for you, I keep a bottle under my sink for situations like this. I’ll go grab it and my medical bag so I can do a quick exam once they’re cleaned up. Why don’t you fill the sink with warm water, and I’ll be right back. Leave your apartment door unlocked, I won’t be but a minute.” 

Cas nodded as he took the other kitten from Dean and watched the man leave. When he heard the apartment door close he looked down at the wide-eyed balls of fur in his hands.

“He’s a very attractive man. Do you think Doctor Dean would accept an invitation to dinner?” he cooed to them. The orange one mewled, and he smiled. “Maybe we’ll just have to see if he’s interested, how does that sound?” The black and white kitten leaned up to head butt his chin. “Aren’t you just a sweet little baby. We’ll get you all fixed up, yes we will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the chapter. :)


	3. Kitten Kisses and Dinner Dates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After examining the kittens Cas makes dinner for Dean. After sharing what brought each of them to Indiana and to that building, Cas asks Dean out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy the fluff!

Dean was gone about two minutes and then he was back in the bathroom. His nose wrinkled at the smell of poop, but he ended up laughing when he saw _where_ the poop was, and how horrified Cas looked.

“What happened?” he asked. Cas looked down at his shirt and grimaced. There was a trail of liquid diarrhea down the front of his shirt. The plop of it on the floor told Dean he had probably just barely managed to keep any of the mess from landing on his kilt.

“I can’t even get to the buttons,” he whined.

“Do you have paper towels?” 

Cas nodded. “Under the kitchen sink.”

“Put the kittens in the tub so they can’t escape. I’ll be right back.” 

Cas nodded and grabbed the kittens, placing them in the tub as Dean went into the kitchen. He located the roll of paper towels as well as a natural cleaner and brought them both back to the bathroom. Cas had untucked the shirt and managed to take off his tie but he looked miserable.

“Come here.” Dean chuckled and pulled off a couple of the paper towels, spraying them with the cleaner. Carefully he wiped away most of the mess.

“I still don’t want to touch the buttons,” Cas complained.

“Oh, come here, you big baby,” Dean teased. He pulled Cas closer and unbuttoned the shirt, trying hard not to stare at the broad chest beneath it. 

“I’m glad my washer and dryer are in here,” Cas muttered once the shirt was open. He pulled it off and tossed it in the washer with a generous amount of soap. Dean was momentarily struck dumb, staring at the man’s broad shoulders and narrow waist as he moved.

“Y-you should wipe your skin off. The kittens have worms.”

Cas whipped around to look at him in horror. “What?!”

“It’s easy to treat. I brought my bag; we’ll get them fixed up.” Dean finally tore his eyes away to point at the black medical bag he had left sitting atop the toilet lid. Cas relaxed and grabbed a washcloth, lathering it up with soap and scrubbing at his chest. Dean cleaned up the poop that had slid off Cas’ shirt and onto the floor. He could see the tiny white worms squirming on the tiles. Man he hated parasites.

“I’ll be right back, I just need to grab a tee shirt,” Cas said as he headed for the door. Dean was a bit disappointed that all that glorious skin was about to be covered up, but dealing with anything that had claws was not wise to do naked, or even semi naked. Cas returned a few minutes later in a black Pink Floyd shirt and loose fitting sweatpants.

“Dude, Floyd rocks,” Dean said, grinning.

Cas looked down at his shirt briefly before smiling back. “I agree.”

Dean opened his bag and pulled out the bottle of soap. “Let’s get them washed and combed.”

“Combed?” Cas asked.

“Get the dead fleas off them, and make sure none survived,” Dean explained. Cas nodded. 

“Ok, so where do we start?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dean showed Cas how to wash the kittens, and they got them lathered up and rinsed pretty quickly. Combing tiny, squirming balls of fur with a flea comb took a bit longer. Dean had brought two and they sat next to one another on the floor, each one combing a kitten until there was nothing left to be found in their fur. 

“Ok, now I need to do a proper exam. Can we use your kitchen table? Keep one in the tub for now while I check out the other. Run your vacuum into every corner of your bathroom, dump out their litter and get into every nook and cranny where fleas might hide while I check out the first kitten,” Dean said.

“Ok, yeah. I’ll go grab the vacuum.” Each kitten was bundled in its own towel, and Cas set the little black and white one down in the tub. It stayed nestled in its towel, closing its eyes and falling asleep while Dean carried the orange one to the kitchen along with his black bag. 

Dean did a thorough exam, determining that the kitten was anemic, thanks to the fleas, and had ear mites as well as the former flea problem. He cleaned the kitten’s ears out, applied medicine, and gave it a dewormer. Upon closer examination he realized the kittens were probably closer to eight weeks, they were just undernourished and sickly from the fleas sucking them dry. He was sitting at the table rubbing noses with the little orange guy when Cas returned.

“Do you like cats?” he asked.

“I like all animals. These guys, they’ve had a pretty rough start, but I think they’ll be ok now. Won’t you? You’ll be ok now, won’t you?” Dean cooed to the kitten and a rumbling purr was given in return as it head bumped him. Cas smiled and sat down across from Dean. The kitten spotted him and ran across the table to head bump him too. He smiled wider as he scratched the little guy’s head.

“That one is a boy, by the way. The other is a girl,” Dean said.

“How can you tell?” Cas asked.

“I’ll show you later. This little guy, he was such a good sport, but manhandling him to show off his family jewels after I just poked and prodded him is probably not what he’s wanting right now,” Dean said as the kitten ran back to him and crawled into his arms.

“I think I lucked out, moving in across from a vet,” Cas said, smiling.

“I think I’m lucky that someone moved into the building that actually has good taste in music,” Dean joked.

Cas laughed and shrugged. “Yeah, well, I like classic rock, what can I say?”

Dean cuddled the kitten a bit longer before looking across the table. Cas was watching him again, that same interest there combined with something that looked like affection.

“Why did he poop on me before?” Cas asked suddenly.

“Care to show me what you’re feeding them?” 

Cas nodded and went to the fridge, pulling out a little Ziploc bag of wet food.

“This, and a bit of dry kitten chow.”

“Are you heating that up or giving it to them cold?” Dean asked. Cas frowned and looked down at the bag.

“I’m supposed to heat it up? No one told me that.”

Dean chuckled. “Much like human babies, their little tummies can get upset. You need to warm the food up, just like you would formula for a newborn. But I’m sure the worms had something to do with it too. Their little bellies are full of them. I dewormed him, and I’ll deworm her too. They’ll be feeling better in no time,” Dean assured him.

“Thank you, for everything. How much do I owe you for this?” Cas asked as he collected the little orange fur ball.

“Nothing. I’m not charging you for this,” Dean replied. He followed Cas back to the bathroom where he traded the orange kitten for the black and white one.

“Allow me to do something to make it up to you at least. Can I make you dinner?” Cas asked as he handed the little girl over to Dean, and they went back to the kitchen. Dean immediately began examining her.

“You want to make me dinner?” he asked. He peered across the table at the other man, who blushed hard and looked down at his hands, which were twisting together on the table top.

“Um, well, yes…”

“I’d love that. When?” 

Cas looked up, his expression of worry and embarrassment fading away, replaced by a beaming smile.

“Is tonight too soon? Or tomorrow night if that’s better. Or you know, whenever you have time.” He was rambling but couldn’t stop.

“Tonight is fine. I’m not exactly dressed for it, but well, neither are you, so I guess we’re on even ground,” Dean said, grinning. Cas chuckled and nodded.

“This is true. Besides, clothing doesn’t really matter in the end. Who cares what one is wearing when they’re eating?”

Dean was busy adding ear drops to the kitten’s ears but he nodded in agreement.

“Say, what are you planning to do with these guys?” he asked.

“I hadn’t really thought about it too much. I’d like to keep one, maybe both, but I can’t do that here.” Cas chewed on his lower lip as he thought about it.

“If you can hang on for two more weeks and keep them quiet, I can take one,” Dean said.

“Really?” Cas was surprised to hear that.

“Yes, I’m buying a house and I’m almost ready with the down payment,” Dean replied. Cas frowned slightly.

“Oh, you’re moving?”

Dean chuckled. “Only three blocks away.”

The frown didn’t leave though as Cas got up and went to look in his fridge.

“What do you have a taste for?” he asked.

“Well, what do you know how to make?” Dean countered. 

“I can make anything you want. I’m quite an accomplished cook. My mother is a chef.” Cas was proud of that.

“Well then, why don’t you surprise me?” Dean finished up the exam on the kitten, treating her ear mites and deworming her. He cuddled her, earning the kitten equivalent of a hug as she held onto his face with her tiny paws and licked his chin. When she began to fall asleep he got up, returning her to the bathroom. When he came back to the kitchen he cleaned everything up from his bag and using Cas’ bottle of cleaner and the paper towels, he wiped down the kitchen table.

“This smells like thyme,” he remarked as he tossed the paper towels in the garbage.

“That’s because it has thyme in it. Main ingredient that makes it an antibacterial,” Cas explained.

“I’m going to drop this off at my place and change my shirt. I’ll be back in a few minutes,” Dean said as he gathered his bag. He went back to his apartment and put the bag back in his closet before changing his shirt. After washing his hands and running a comb through his hair, he located his slippers and put them on. The offer of dinner had come as a surprise, but he was excited for it. He had the impression Cas might be interested in him, and he didn’t want to mess things up if he was.

Back at Cas’ he let himself in the front door again. He could smell something cooking in the kitchen.

“Dean, do you drink wine at all?” Cas called out to him.

“Occasionally. What do you have?” Dean asked as he walked into the kitchen.

“I have red and white. Do you have a preference?”

Dean plucked the bottle of white out of his hand and read the label. “What’s on the menu?”

“I have steaks in the oven now,” Cas replied. Dean handed back the white wine. 

“I think red will go better.” 

Cas smiled and got down two wine glasses. 

“Can I help?” Dean asked once he’d been given his glass. He nodded towards the vegetables lying on the counter.

“You chop, I wash and prep?” Cas asked. Dean nodded.

“Works for me.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dinner was on the table an hour later and they were sitting at the small kitchen table enjoying a steak dinner with homemade butter and herb mashed potatoes and a vegetable medley in a creamy garlic sauce. It was really fantastic and better than Dean had eaten in a while. As they ate, they struck up a conversation.

“So where are you from, Cas?” Dean asked.

“Illinois, originally, but lived for a time in my teens in New York after my mom became head chef at a popular restaurant there. When I was eighteen, though, I left for college. After college I didn’t want to go back. I don’t like New York,” Cas replied. “What about you? Are you from here?”

“No. I’m from Kansas. I came here for the veterinary program at Purdue, and I guess I just never left. Moved one town over is all,” Dean shrugged.

“Do you have your own practice?” Cas was curious.

“I am co-owner with my friend Benny. We met in college and decided we wanted to open our own place up. Lately though, I’ve been working longer hours, seeing more patients so I can get as much money as I can together.”

Cas nodded. “I remember you saying that. Did you always want to be a vet?”

Dean chuckled and shook his head. “No, when I was a kid I wanted to be a fireman. So…I became one. I was hurt during a fire a year in, while rescuing a family dog of all things. Stairs gave out and I went through them, and my leg got caught, twisted around and tore the ligaments in my knee. It was a long recovery, and I had to do a lot of physical therapy. My leg was never quite good enough to go back though, so I went back to college. I actually started back to school while I was still in a full leg brace and using crutches. I was eager to do something meaningful with my life, and I kept thinking about that dog. I felt that helping animals was the way to go. Earned my BA in science, and then entered the veterinary program. My leg healed up eventually, doesn’t bother me much at all now. Unless it’s raining or snowing. I found a passion in healing animals.”

Cas leaned forward a little and lowered his fork to his plate. “Pardon me if I sound like a complete ass for this but…did that dog live?”

Dean grinned and nodded. “He did, and with nothing more than mild smoke inhalation.”

Cas sat back and smiled. “I’m glad you both came out of that alright.”

“So, how is it that you’re a college professor and you ended up here in this building? I would think they pay well enough to afford something nicer than this.” Dean was curious about the kilt-wearing man.

Cas sighed deeply and nodded. “Yes, well, I needed a place to go, and quickly. This building had an open apartment, so I took it. Last year I caught my sister in bed with my fiancé. I debated on whether I wanted to stay and kick him out or let him keep the house and I leave. The courts figured it out before I could. Apparently he’d been getting ready to leave me all along. I was evicted from the premises, and he married my sister a week later.”

Dean’s jaw dropped in horror as he listened. “Geez, man, I’m so sorry. Family…they just don’t do stuff like that, it’s…wow. I’m so sorry.”

Cas shrugged. “I’m over it. I got a place and I was good for a while, but apparently there was trouble in paradise. My sister got herself pregnant by another man and my ex found out, kicked her out. Then he came looking for me. Found me, harassed me trying to get me to come back. I filed a restraining order, and I moved. This building had an opening. It’s not the worst place I’ve ever lived. Someday, hopefully soon, I’ll be able to save like you’re doing and get a house of my own. I’m too young for tenure yet, but I have high hopes I’ll earn it. He picked at his vegetables for a moment before speaking again. “And what about you? How is it you’re here? And how long have you been living here?”

“When I moved in this was a pretty nice building. The area has changed a lot in just a few short years though. I moved here five years ago. I…met a girl. Thought I loved her, thought she loved me. Turns out we were both wrong. I did love her, but I wasn’t in love with her, and she felt the same. I’d been battling my own inner demons for years and it all came to a head one night. I thought I was bi. I’d been with men, I’d been with women, but she was my first honest to gosh man/woman relationship. We had tried being together years ago but it didn’t work out. She cheated, left me, I got on with my life. A few years later I ran into her. We’d both changed. We got to talking, started dating again, moved in together, and the kid she had with the guy she cheated on me with? I was raising him like my own. But it felt like a lie. It was a night about a year in that we sat down one night after Ben was asleep to talk. Neither of us could really see a future with one another in it so with an amicable agreement…I left. The next day though, after we’d talked to Ben. I’m on really good terms with Lisa now, and I’m still the main father figure in Ben’s life. He’s the kid I always wanted but never got. I’d still like kids of my own, but it’d be a huge hassle.” Dean shook his head sadly.

“Why is a hassle? You’ve helped raise Ben, right? It’s not that hard,” Cas said.

“Raising kids isn’t the hard part, it’s the procreation part that is. I’m gay, Cas. Just took me a while to stop living in denial. It’s not happening cause I don’t lie to myself anymore. I don’t get involved with women anymore. Lisa was the last one,” Dean explained.

“Oh, then I can see what you mean. I wanted children as well, but my ex, he didn’t, or so I thought. Turns out he just didn’t want them with me.” Cas picked up his wine glass and drained the last of its contents before refilling it. He added more to Dean’s glass as well.

“Are you really over him?” Dean asked. It might have been rude to ask but Cas seemed upset thinking about his ex.

“I am over him. I am not, however, over what my sister did to me. Thankfully neither is my family. She is not welcome at family gatherings any longer. The man that fathered her son? My cousin’s husband. She has a bad reputation for coveting what she has no business wanting,” Cas replied.

“I don’t think I could talk to my brother if he did something like that to me. In fact, I’d probably beat him into the ground,” Dean said.

“Yes, well, I wanted to, trust me, but if you ever met her, she’s this tiny little thing that pretends she’s so fragile. If I’d have hit her, she’d definitely have broken. It was better for me to just walk and not look back.” Cas took another sip of his wine.

“How’s dating for you now?” Dean asked more for his own curiosity than anything.

“I’m going through a dry spell worthy of the Sahara desert. I was with my ex for nearly ten years. I’m trying to get the hang of it again, but all I keep meeting are assholes,” Cas laughed around a mouthful of steak. 

“I know what you mean. I’ve been in my own dry spell for years. I just work and come home to watch television. My best friend is always traveling for her job, and my brother’s out in California, so I’m basically alone here.” Dean shrugged and finished the last bite of his steak. “I keep hoping I’ll find that special someone, but lately I’ve been thinking I’m not going to find him here in Indiana.” Dean tried not to sound as forlorn as he felt. Cas smiled.

“And so you are buying a house in Indiana? Isn’t that counterproductive?” 

Dean chuckled and shrugged. “I found a house I like.”

Cas watched him for a moment before taking another sip of his wine.

“Hey, Dean?”

Dean was taking a sip from his own glass, and he looked up at the sound of his name.

“Yes?”

“Would you…like to go out with me? On a date?” Cas froze. It had been ages since he had asked someone out, and he was readying himself for rejection.

Dean smiled as he set his glass down. “You mean something fancier than this?”

Cas relaxed and nodded. “Yes, somewhere much nicer.”

Dean cocked an eyebrow. “Will you be wearing a kilt?”

Cas laughed. “You like the kilts?”

“It’s the first thing I noticed about you, when you were first moving in. I definitely like them,” Dean replied. Cas was surprised by that.

“You noticed me then? Why didn’t you say something?”

“I didn’t want to come off as a creepy neighbor, if I’m being completely honest. There are some…unusual characters living here. I like to think that I’m not _that_ unusual.” Dean tried to inject humor at the end, and it seemed to work because Cas was smiling and nodding.

“Yes, I have met a few. I admire the lady upstairs with the purple hair. I don’t think I’ve worn that shade since I was sixteen.”

Dean burst out laughing. “She thinks it’s lilac. I think she could be used as a team mascot for the Panthers.”

When the laughter had died back again Cas reached across the table to touch his hand, drawing Dean’s attention to him.

“You didn’t answer my question earlier.”

“Yes, Cas, I would love to go on a date with you.” Dean caught Cas’ hand and held it.

“Wonderful. When are you free next?” Cas asked.

“I have appointments and a surgery tomorrow that will take up most of the day but Friday I’m free. And the clinic is only open half days on Saturdays. Benny and I alternate which Saturday we’ll work, and this is his turn. And we’re closed on Sundays.”

“I would like to take you out Friday. And perhaps you would like to accompany me to the Farmer’s Market and the pet store Saturday. I will need a real litter pan. Right now they’re using an old bucket for dishes,” Cas said.

“I’d love to,” Dean smiled.

“Do you have to leave? Would you perhaps like to stay and watch a movie?” Cas asked.

“Mmmm, depends. What kind of movie?”

“I was thinking Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit,” Cas said. Dean grinned.

“Now you’re talking.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked this chapter. :)


	4. Kitten Emergencies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cas stops by the clinic with lunch and a kitten he found on campus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy more fluff. ^_^
> 
> Longer note at end of chapter.

**SATURDAY**

Dinner Friday night had been wonderful. The conversation had flowed just as easily between them as it did the night Cas had cooked for him, and Dean realized he really liked Cas’ easygoing personality. After the Farmer’s Market they hit the pet store, where Dean guided Cas through picking up all the essentials. He picked up some of his own as well. The idea of having a pet was exciting. Aside from a dog he’d had as a child, Dean had never owned any pets. With Cas’ permission he had chosen the female kitten and had already named her Camille. Cas was calling the orange kitten Aristotle. After dropping the supplies off in their respective apartments they went back out, intending to walk around the downtown area. The weather was nice and they were enjoying one another’s company. 

To dinner the previous night Cas had worn a solid black kilt with a white dress shirt and the same black and white tie he had worn when Dean first met him. Today’s kilt was purple and black with thin stripes of mustard yellow, and he wore it with a Led Zeppelin tee shirt. That alone scored big points with Dean. By the time they made it back to the building they were pleasantly tired but happy. They parted ways outside of Dean’s apartment. He had files he needed to go over for a surgery Monday and Cas had papers to grade. They’d made plans to get together for lunch at Dean’s apartment Sunday, and they wanted no distractions. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**TUESDAY**

“Hey, guess what?”

“What, Sammy?” Dean had his brother on speakerphone so that he could finish updating the file for the case of Giardia he had just dealt with in a six-month-old bulldog puppy.

“I’m coming your way. I have to go to New York for a conference but I have a layover in Indy. I thought I would drive up and see you, take you to dinner,” Sam replied.

Dean looked up excitedly. “That’s awesome! When?”

“Next month on the third. Will you be free?” Sam asked.

“I will make the time, trust me.” Dean was excited. “I can’t wait to show you the house.”

“Oh right! You’ll be in by that time. I’m sorry I can’t come in to help you move. We are just swamped right now. Why is everyone such a moron?” 

Dean chuckled. “Because you’re in California; did you expect anything else?”

“No, I suppose not,” Sam laughed. “Hey, you finally seeing anyone? And how is Ben?”

Dean smiled. “Actually…”

“What is his name, what does he do, and is he nice?” Sam demanded. Dean laughed and shook his head at his brother, even though Sam couldn’t see him.

“His name is Cas, he is a history professor, and he’s the nicest guy I’ve ever met. You would really like him; he’s a total bookworm.”

“How did you two meet?” Sam asked.

“He moved into the apartment across the hall from me,” Dean replied.

“Nellie Schumer’s place?” Sam asked.

“Yeah, she passed away. It sat empty for close to a year and then Cas moved in.” 

“Do I get to meet this new boyfriend?” Dean could hear the hopefulness in his brother’s voice.

“Yeah, I plan on introducing you to him.” Was it too soon yet? And _was_ Cas really his boyfriend? They’d been dating about a week and had been spending most of their free time together. He supposed they were. That brought a smile to his face. He didn’t want to run around telling everyone yet though and risk jinxing the best thing that had happened to him in years. Sammy was safe to tell, though. “Just, don’t say anything to Mom yet, ok? When I’m ready, I’ll tell her and Dad.”

“No problem. I look forward to meeting him. I gotta run, I have to be in court in fifteen. Don’t be a stranger. And we need to Skype again soon,” Sam said.

“Have a good day, Sammy. We’ll definitely talk later.”

Dean disconnected the call and finished up the last of the notes in the file. Just as he closed it, someone knocked on his office door.

“Come in.”

The door swung open and Benny was standing there.

“Hey brother, did you eat?” Benny asked.

“I…forgot. I’ll eat now though.” Dean had also forgotten to bring lunch. Damn it!

“Don’t worry about it. There’s a good looking fella in the lobby with a bag of food. He’s wearing a kilt. Brought in a kitten and asked for you.”

Dean stood up and came around the desk. “Cas is here?”

“So you do know the guy?” Benny asked.

“Yeah, we’re dating. What’s wrong with the kittens though?” He hurried out of his office and out to the lobby. Cas was standing there with a jacket cradled in his arms. He looked so relieved to see Dean.

“Hey, what happened?” Dean asked as he pulled a corner of the jacket back and looked down into bright blue eyes. Who was this?

“I was pulling out of the parking lot, heading out to get lunch when I saw a kid on a bike hit this little baby by accident. It darted in front of his path. I got out, scooped the kitten up and came here. I…may also have stopped to get lunch. I felt bad just springing it on you like this. The kitten is purring and moving.”

“It’s ok, come on, let’s get it into exam room three.” Dean turned to see Benny smirking at him and his receptionist Jo watching him with wide eyes.

“Is it going to be ok?” she asked.

“We’ll see. Do I have any appointments in the next hour?” 

She scanned the list. “Not until three.”

“Ok, so I’m taking care of this kitten and then I’m going in back to have my lunch. Handle my calls until then,” he told her. She nodded. 

Dean opened the door to exam room three and motioned towards the table. “Set it down, and we’ll have a look.”

Cas put the kitten on the table while Dean grabbed a few things from a drawer.

“It’s tiny, Dean. A lot tinier than the other kittens.”

Dean turned around to see a tiny fur ball sitting in the center of the jacket. It was incredibly small.

“Yeah, not the same litter. Give me a minute to do a quick exam.”

Dean moved quickly, checking the kitten over, drawing blood, taking a fecal sample, and looking for injuries from the accident.

“Ok, I want to do an x-ray. Something doesn’t feel right. And she’s covered in fleas. We need to get that under control right away; she’s severely anemic.” He moved to the door and opened it. Benny was still standing by the front desk, chatting with Jo.

“Hey, Benny? Can you get Jody in here please? And Jo, can you please get some formula heated up? This kitten is critical.”

“Critical?” Cas echoed. “Oh God…and I stopped for lunch…”

“It’s ok, Cas. We’ll do what we can to heal her and get her better. She’s all skin and bones. I’m going to recommend you set out traps for her mother and other siblings, so they can get helped.” He looked back at the kitten, who was still sitting calmly in the center of the table. If she was feral like Dean suspected she should be trying to get away, to hide. Cas looked devastated. 

“Come here.” Dean closed the door and pulled Cas into his arms. “Don’t blame yourself. You’re not responsible for her running around out there. We’ll do what we can to patch her up, ok?”

Cas clung to him, burying his face in Dean’s shoulder. The door opened and a woman in scrubs walked in. 

“Oh, sorry.” She hesitated until Dean nodded towards the table.

“Take her, clean her up, feed her, and we’ll do an x-ray later. We need to get rid of the fleas and deworm her too,” he said.

She nodded and scooped the kitten up. Quietly she left the room.

“Hey, come on. Let’s go eat, ok? Then we’ll see how she’s doing. It’ll take Jody a few minutes to get her bathed and fed. They don’t always take right away to formula.” Dean took Cas by the hand and grabbed the bag of food. He led the man out into the back of the hospital and to his office.

“You ok?” he asked as they sat down on the loveseat in the corner.

“Yeah. I just…I feel stupid for stopping,” Cas sighed.

“Well you weren’t. That poor baby had a death sentence hanging over her head from the moment she was born. People that dump their pets make me sick.” Dean opened the bag, groaning as the smell of burgers and fries hit him. He pulled one out.

“Is one specifically for you?” he asked.

“No, I just got some burgers and fries. I didn’t know how many people worked here, so I got four burgers and four fries,” Cas replied.

“Oh, wow. I’ll save one for Benny, he’ll gladly eat it. Jo I know already ate, and Jody’s boyfriend brings her lunch every day. He’ll be here any moment,” Dean explained.

“Oh. Every day? Really?” 

“He’s a sheriff. He stops through, says hi, drops off food, goes back out.” Dean unwrapped his burger and took a bite. As the flavors burst across his tongue he groaned.

“Shit this is good! Where are we eating from?” Dean looked at the wrapper. “Steak N Shake? What is _on_ this thing? It’s amazing!”

“It’s just a bacon double cheeseburger.” Cas pulled a second one out of the bag and stood up. “I will go and see if Benny would like this. Dean nodded and watched him leave.

_He brought you lunch, Winchester. He likes you, a lot._

Dean snorted and took another bite of his sandwich. 

_Step it up, Winchester. Don’t screw this one up._

Cas came back, this time with Benny in tow. The other vet was grinning.

“Your boyfriend here is a lifesaver. Thought I’d go hungry this afternoon,” the man said. Dean smiled at Cas. His _boyfriend_ really was pretty amazing.

“He’s pretty awesome, isn’t he?” 

Cas blushed and ducked his head but he had a big, toothy grin on his face that Dean liked seeing. He reached into the bag and pulled out a container of fries.

“Here, these are for you too.”

Benny accepted them graciously. “Thank you so very much. Oh, Dean, your kitten is bathed and Lauren’s here now feeding her. You’ll want to deworm her soon. I put in an IV drip, she’s really dehydrated and anemic.”

“Thanks, man. I’m sorry I didn’t formally introduce you guys. Cas here is a history professor at the university. Benny here graduated with me,” Dean said.

“It’s nice to actually formally meet you; Dean speaks quite highly of you,” Cas told the man. “Where are you from?”

“Louisiana, down in the Bayou. Moved here for the veterinary program and met this guy. Hard to ignore someone as charismatic as him. He wanted to open a clinic, I wanted to open a clinic, and it made more sense economically to do it together. So here we are,” Benny replied.

“It’s nice to have friends you can share dreams with,” Cas said.

“It’s nice to have someone to share more than dreams with.” Benny pointed at Dean and winked. Cas chuckled.

“That’s true.”

“I’ll leave you lovebirds alone. You have that shunt removal at three, don’t forget.” Benny said to Dean as he opened the door.

“I know. I’ll see you later.”

Benny left, closing the door behind him.

“He’s very nice. I’m surprised he didn’t go back to Louisiana after he graduated,” Cas said. Dean had finished his burger and was working on the fries.

“He thought about it but decided he didn’t want to. I could have gone back to Kansas, but I didn’t.” 

Cas placed a hand on Dean’s knee. “I’m glad you didn’t.”

Dean smiled at him. “Me too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am sporting another lovely migraine so can't really think of witty things to say. I live with chronic, low level pain in my head but they like to flare up to nearly unbearable levels, like right now. I was just telling Monijune earlier this week that one day (I think it was like Wed or Thurs?) I woke up and something felt really wrong. I couldn't put my finger on it til around 2 that afternoon when it finally dawned on me. 
> 
> My head didn't hurt.
> 
> For the first time in longer than I could remember there was no pain, no pressure, no discomfort in my head. I spent the rest of the day marveling in the lack of pain. It's sad, when you spend so much time in pain that a moment pain free is what feels weird. I enjoyed it for a day and a half, moved wrong, and the pain was back. Oh well. So I've had my dose of ibuprofen and I have some coffee. If it persists, I'll ice it. I'm fine though, I'm used to it. Someday I'll see a doctor, lol.
> 
> I do hope you enjoyed this chapter. I may put up another chapter later today of it. It will depend on how I am feeling. I am back to editing my book, but I'm creating new chapters for All or Nothing and The Claim too. But I'm back to working on my book. I haven't touched it since September. With the anxiety I dealt with this past week, I needed to take that step back. I'm glad I did. I feel better emotionally. I have prompts coming out my ears and got a new one today, and I will work on them, just...not today. I need my break to last just a little longer for personal reasons. I do love you guys and thank each and every one of you for caring enough to read what I write, and thank you from the bottom of my heart each one of you that defended me. I can't express how much it means to me.


	5. Taking Care of Dean

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean is always the one taking care of others but this time it's Cas that steps up to take care of him. He finds that he likes being on the receiving end of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're still fluffing our way along here people. Enjoy the fluff.

Cas left to go back to the university, and Dean went back to check on the kitten. All washed up he was surprised to see that she was solid white. 

“Hey, has anyone tested her to see if she can hear?” he called out. Jody stuck her head around the corner.

“No, not to my knowledge.”

Dean leaned down to look at her. She’d been moved to recovery cage and was currently asleep. He snapped his fingers. No reaction. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a cat toy with a tiny bell on it. Watching her closely, he shook it. She continued to sleep.

“Damn.”

Jody walked over and looked into the cage.

“Did you treat her ear mites?” he asked.

“Yeah, she has a double ear infection too, but I left that for you to handle. She’s in pretty bad shape. Poor little thing.”

“We’ll see how she’s doing in twenty four hours. I might have to stay the night to feed her. I’m not going to stress her out by packing her up and dragging her home only to bring her back in the morning,” he said.

“You sure? I can stay, you know.”

“Nah, it’s ok. I’ll let Benny know too.”

She nodded and left. He turned back to the kitten.

“You, Little Miss Trouble, you better be a fighter, because I’m fighting for you.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**6:58PM**

**Cas:** Are you home yet? I made too much chicken alfredo and I was wondering if you wanted to join me for dinner.

 **Dean:** Sorry, I’m staying the night here the clinic. The kitten you brought in, we have her on fluids and she needs round the clock feedings. She could go into shock if I drag her to and from my place, so I’m staying. By the way, she’s deaf. Common birth defect in white kittens when they have blue eyes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**7:36PM**

**Cas:** Open the door.

Dean got up from the loveseat in his office where he’d been reading a magazine and walked through the clinic to the front door. Cas was standing there, his arms laden down with multiple bags.

“What…what is all this?” Dean asked as he took most of the bags. 

“I brought you dinner, and a few other things,” Cas replied. Dean stepped aside and Cas walked into the lobby. “It’s so different at night.”

“Yes, well, currently my only overnight patient is the white princess. We had a dog in quarantine for parvo but he died yesterday,” Dean replied as he closed the door and locked it.

“I feel awful, like I’m more of a burden than I’m worth. Not only did I mess you up with the first two kittens, but then I brought this one,” Cas said as he followed Dean back to his office.

“You are not a burden. This is what I do. And I want to save her. Would you like to see how she’s doing?” Dean asked as he set the bags down on the floor of his office. Cas set down the bags he was carrying and followed him.

“Here she is.”

They had stopped in front of the cage and the kitten, who was still awake, looked up. She tried to meow, but it came out almost like a whisper.

“Oh, you whispering again, sweetheart?” Dean cooed as he opened the cage door and reached in to scratch the kitten’s head. She looked at him with wide blue eyes, her movements still very slow and deliberate, but they slid shut as he scratched her head.

“Can I?” Cas asked. Dean pulled his hand back and nodded. 

“Just don’t mess with her ears; she has a double ear infection and they hurt.”

Cas stroked the kitten’s head gently and rubbed her little cheeks.

“She’s so pretty.”

“She really is. Think we’ll call her Whisper. She tries to meow but has no control over the volume, so you don’t really hear her,” Dean said. Cas smiled at him.

“I like that.”

“So…you brought me dinner?” Dean asked.

“I did. Do you like chicken alfredo?” 

“Yes, I do. I just haven’t had it in a while.” Dean’s stomach rumbled in anticipation of the food Cas had made. He had stepped out earlier and grabbed a candy bar and a bottle of root beer at the convenience store across the street, but it wasn’t nearly enough.

They made their way back to the office where Cas began digging around in various bags. He came up with containers of food. The first one he opened contained slices of French bread.

“This has butter in it for the bread. Real butter, I don’t fool around with that margarine crap.” Cas pulled a little container of butter and a knife out of another bag. Dean watched him open another dish of food.

“Didn’t you eat?” he asked.

“No, I felt guilty. I didn’t want to eat until I was sure you had eaten.” Cas handed him a fork. When he looked up he realized Dean was staring at him. “What?”

“Uh, it’s just…no one’s ever done that for me before. Thank you.” Dean was truly humbled by Cas’ thoughtfulness. He leaned in to kiss the man on the cheek. The way Cas’ cheeks reddened was adorable.

“You’re worth it. Now eat,” Cas said.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They finished their food in comfortable silence. Cas set all of the empty dishes into one of the bags before reaching into another one.

“I brought dessert too. You had mentioned at the Farmer’s Market that day how much you loved pie, so…I made you one. I actually made it last night.” 

“Are you serious? You made me _pie_?!” Dean was almost jumping up and down in his seat, he was so excited. Cas smiled as he set the dessert on the seat between them.

“I did. I made two, and I wasn’t sure which one to bring tonight, so I opted for the apple.”

“What’s the other one?” Dean asked as he took the plastic lid off the pie.

“Cherry.”

“Dude, you’re so freaking perfect.” Dean groaned as the scent of apples and cinnamon hit his nostrils.

“I am far from, but thank you.” Cas pulled out a knife and after pulling smaller paper plates out of another bag, he cut them both a piece. As soon as he took a bite Dean was raving about how fantastic the pie was.

“Oh my God, this is so amazing!” He groaned before stuffing another bite in his mouth. Cas watched him with amusement and affection.

“I’m glad you approve.”

“You have to let me cook for you. How about Friday?” Dean asked.

“I would like that very much,” Cas replied. He took a bite of the pie. It was good, even better than it usually was.

They finished more of the pie before Dean took it and stuck it in the fridge in the back room. When he came back Cas was pulling a blanket out of another bag.

“Cas? What are you doing?”

“You said you were staying the night. I didn’t know how prepared you really were, or how often you do it, and I didn’t want you to be cold or uncomfortable.” The man was blushing, clutching the edges of the blanket nervously.

“I didn’t get to plan ahead. Usually I bring extra clothes and a throw blanket if I know I have to stay. I was just going to grab a kennel pad from the back and use that but this…” He sat down again on the little couch and placed a hand over one of Cas’. “This was very thoughtful. Thank you.”

Cas smiled and nodded. “I just feel like it’s my fault that you’re stuck here.”

“Please, stop blaming yourself. It’s alright. Here, help me out with this. It’s actually a sofa bed.” Dean stood up and started pulling cushions off the loveseat. Cas helped and then they pulled the actual bed out.

“This is a good idea. Much more comfortable than trying to curl up on the couch with as small as it is,” Cas said. There was already a sheet on the bed so he went about putting the blanket on it.

“Stay with me?” Dean said suddenly. Cas looked up, his blue eyes wide with surprise.

“Sorry, you probably have to go. I just…I’m not keen on being here alone.” Dean rubbed nervously at the back of his neck as Cas stood up straight.

“I-I’m not quite ready for sex yet, Dean,” the man said quietly.

“Who said anything about sex? I haven’t even kissed you yet. I’ve been trying to be a gentleman here,” Dean said with a nervous chuckle. Cas relaxed and gave a crooked smile.

“Yeah, ok, I’ll stay. I’d like to see how she does through the night, but mostly I just like being with you, Dean.”

Dean let out the breath he’d been holding and moved over to a closet in the corner. He pulled out two pillows and tossed them on the bed.

“How is it that you have pillows but no blankets?” Cas asked.

“Jody had to snag the only blanket I had, a cheap $5 thing from Walmart, when we had a bunch of bait dogs brought in last year in need of emergency care. We needed every blanket and towel in the place as the vast majority of them were wounded, and a bunch were in shock. I ended up sending Jo to the store to buy more towels. It was a nightmare.” Dean unbuttoned his dress shirt and took it off. For work he kept an undershirt on. It helped save his flesh from sharp beaks, teeth, and claws when he wore one under his dress shirt and white lab coat.

“I hope it’s ok, I don’t have another pair of pants here, so I’m going to sleep in my undershirt and underwear. That way I can wear these tomorrow,” he said as he undid his belt and removed it along with his pants. Carefully they were laid out on his desk while his shirt was hung over the back of the chair.

“No, it’s fine. But so you know, I’ll be sleeping in exactly what I have on. I’m not exactly prepared.” Cas sat down on the edge of the bed and removed his boots and socks. He was wearing a dark gray Metallica tee with a hunter green kilt. Dean was fairly certain the man had changed out of his usual button down shirt after work into this one.

“You’ll be comfortable in that?” Dean asked.

“Yes, once I take off my sporran and belt.” Cas undid the items in question and set them down carefully inside one of the empty bags. He watched Dean head to his desk and pick up a bottle of water. 

“Dean, can I ask you a question?”

“Sure.” Dean swallowed a couple of pills from a bottle in his desk and chased them with the water. “Sorry, knee is acting up tonight. Must be rain coming.”

“There is rain coming, actually. I was going to ask, why haven’t you kissed me? Or should I have kissed you? I’m so out of practice with this it’s ridiculous.” Cas shook his head and looked down at the floor between his feet. “I don’t even know when in a relationship people should be having sex. God, I’m pathetic.”

Dean set the bottle down and went back to the bed. He sat down next to Cas and reached out to take his hand.

“Hey, you’re not the only one out of practice here, ok? I probably could have, and _should_ have, kissed you after our first date but I was so nervous. I really wanted to, but I was afraid of scaring you off.” 

Cas looked up at him, huffing out a small laugh. “At least I’m not the only one. I was going to kiss you tonight, which was a big reason why I had invited you to dinner.”

“Well, we’re here now. So kiss me,” Dean said. Cas blinked and then his eyes flickered to Dean’s lips before meeting his gaze again. He brought a hand up, placing it on the back of Dean’s neck and pulling him in gently.

The kiss was slow at first, a gentle exploration. It had been so long for either of them that they both wanted to take their time mapping out the way each other felt and tasted. When Cas’ tongue slid along Dean’s lower lip he opened up, his own hands coming up to cup Cas’ face and draw him closer. When they finally parted, they were both smiling. Dean knew he was treading dangerous waters here. He was growing attached to the other man, developing some pretty intense feelings for him. If they stayed on this course he knew without a doubt he would fall in love with him, and that was terrifying. 

It was also very exciting.

“Are you tired? I have to feed Whisper and check her IV in two hours, but I’d like to get some sleep now since I’ll be up and down all night,” he said.

“A little. Do you need to set an alarm?” Cas asked.

“It’s already set.” Dean stood up and moved up to the head of the bed, pulling the blanket down. “Can you hit the lights?” He pointed at a switch on the wall.

Cas turned off the lights and joined Dean back at the bed. They crawled under the covers and then Dean was reaching for him, pulling him closer.

“Has this thing always been this uncomfortable?” Cas asked as he turned on his side and slid an arm over Dean’s chest.

“I wouldn’t really know. I’ve only used it once before when I volunteered to stay with an abandoned litter of kittens. It was not a great night’s sleep. Usually Joanna Beth or Jody stay.” Dean replied.

“It’s nice, lying here like this. It would be nicer in my own bed, of course, but this is nice,” Cas said as he buried his face in Dean’s shoulder.

“I believe you. And I hope I get to find that out one day soon.” Dean teased. Cas snorted.

“You will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, I really wanted a reason for Dean to have to stay and Cas to come spoil him. And so here we are. 
> 
> Hush, you'll get your smut. Just...not yet.
> 
> I hope you liked the chapter, let me know what you thought.


	6. Favors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cas leaves the next morning but a little while later Lisa stops in to ask Dean a favor. Later, when he gets home, he has to deal with his strange neighbor Marv who swears he's hearing cats in the walls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do hope you enjoy this chapter. :)

To both of their relief, Whisper made it through the night. At the six a.m. feeding, Dean let Cas bottle feed her. Seeing the look of delight and affection on the man’s face brought great joy to Dean. Cas was the kind of person he had been hoping he would meet. The man was compassionate about animals; he was creative, sweet, funny, and the most thoughtful person Dean had ever met, aside from his own mother. His mother, he thought. She’d absolutely love Cas.

Cas had to head to the university and he was leaving just as Jo and Jody were unlocking the front door and coming in. He greeted them politely and then said goodbye as he slipped past them and left. The women whispered to one another as they watched him leave and then burst into giggles. Jo headed straight for Dean’s office. The door was standing open so she knocked on the frame itself. He looked up from where he was putting the cushions back on the loveseat.

“She made it; she’s still alive,” he said.

“That’s wonderful! When was her last feeding?” she asked.

“Six. She’s eating pretty good now, actually showing signs of an appetite. We named her Whisper.” He folded the blanket and tucked it into one of Cas’ bags.

“We?” she asked, grinning. He rolled his eyes.

“Yes, we.”

“So when did you start dating? He’s hot!” Leave it to Jo to be eager for gossip.

“It’s brand new. He moved in across the hall from me and he found a kitten. Then he found another one, not including Whisper. I caught him sneaking in with the first one, and that’s how we met. When he found the second one he was scared because they were sick, so he came to ask me if I knew anything about cats. He didn’t know I was a vet. I went and did an exam, we got to talking, he cooked me dinner and we’ve sort of been dating since them. So…a little over a week?” he shrugged.

“And you already are sleeping together?!” she cried.

“What? No! I asked him to stay last night. We ate dinner, had some pie, talked, and then went to sleep. Hell, we only had our first kiss last night. He got out of a long relationship and hasn’t dated anyone since then, and you know my story with Lisa. So we’re kind of rusty at the whole dating thing. I just didn’t want to be alone last night.” 

She relaxed, nodding. “Taking your time is good. It’ll give you a chance to get to know each other really well. You like him though, right? Or you wouldn’t still be seeing him.”

“I like him a lot. He’s fun and sweet, and incredibly thoughtful. He invited me to dinner last night and I had to decline because I needed to stay with Whisper, so he brought not only dinner to me, but pie and a blanket as well. I just wanted to see what it was like to fall asleep with someone I cared about.” He picked up the bags and moved them to the closet. His watch said it was five after seven. The clinic opened at eight.

“Change out Whisper’s blankets and pads, would you? And have Jody change her IV, it was almost out when I fed her earlier. Oh, and I told Jody this last night. Whisper is deaf, so try not to startle her when you move her,” he said. She nodded and pushed off the door frame.

“I’m happy for you, you know. I wanted you to know that. He seems really nice,” she said.

“He is. I’ll have everyone over for dinner one night so you can all get to know him better.” His mother’s best friend Ellen was Jo’s mom, and she lived about an hour away with her husband, Bobby, who happened to be Dean’s dad’s best friend. They’d actually been set up by Mary Winchester when Jo was still just a toddler. They’d moved from Lawrence, Kansas, to Indianapolis when Dean was in high school and he’d been grateful to at least know someone in the area when he arrived. When he’d heard Jo was looking for work he’d been happy to hire her on as his receptionist and he let her work around her school hours now that she was working to become a tech like Jody. The clinic did well enough that they had two techs on hand already. Jo would stay on as the receptionist but would help out as necessary. Hopefully the clinic would continue to expand and draw in more business.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jo left, and he slowly heard the clinic start coming to life. Benny arrived just before eight with cups of coffee for everyone, and Dean nearly sobbed with relief when one was handed to him. He drank it as he updated everyone on Whisper and her situation. Benny agreed to do the x-ray while Dean prepped for the first surgery of the morning. There were three dog neuters scheduled and one spay for a kitten named Felicity. He expected to be done with all of them by ten, and then came the actual appointments. As he was scrubbing in for the first surgery, Jody popped her head in.

“You have a visitor,” she said. 

“Cas?” he asked. She shook her head.

“No, Lisa.”

Dean sighed and rinsed his hands. He grabbed a couple of paper towels and went out to the waiting room. Lisa was sitting across from his first client for the day, an Irish wolfhound pup named Clive. He motioned for Lisa to follow him. When they were in his office, he closed the door.

“What’s up?” he asked.

“I hate to spring this on you but I have to go away for a weeklong conference in Miami. I leave Thursday and I’ll be back next Wednesday. Could Ben stay with you til I get back? He’s been getting into some trouble lately, and I’m loathe to leave him home alone,” she asked.

“Yeah, of course. You know I’ll be moving soon, right? I’m buying a house. There’s a room for Ben for when he wants to stay over,” he said. She nodded.

“I remember you mentioning that. I’m happy for you. When are you moving in?”

“I am making the down payment Monday. I should be able to move in the week after. I have something else to tell you.” He tossed the paper towels in the garbage.

“What?” She asked.

“I’m seeing someone. He’s going to be around, Ben’s inevitably going to meet him, sooner rather than later. I want to make sure you’re ok with that.”

Her expression remained cool and neutral. Sometimes she was hard to read.

“It’s serious?”

“Kind of? I mean, I want it to be. I like him a lot, Lis. He’s special.” 

She smiled softly. “You haven’t dated in a long time. He really must be. I hope I’ll get to meet him, too.”

“You will. He’ll most likely be at my place when you come get Ben, but I’ll also be doing a big shindig at my new house once I’m settled, have you and Ben over, and some other people. A housewarming.” 

“That sounds nice. What’s your new beau’s name?” she asked.

“Cas. He’s a history professor at the university,” he replied.

“Smart, huh? I bet he’s crazy handsome too,” she teased. He grinned.

“You don’t know the half of it. He’s gorgeous.”

“Well good, I’m happy for you. Do you want me to give Ben a heads up, or do you want to?” 

“I’ll tell him. Are you dropping him off Thursday?” He was calculating just how much he’d have to pick up at the grocery store. Crap, he’d offered to cook for Cas Friday…

“My flight leaves at six, so I can pick him up at my house and drop him here or at the apartment, whichever you want.” 

“Apartment’s fine,” he concluded. “I should be done here around six.”

“Thank you, Dean, this means the world to me. He’s so full of that teenage anger and resentment it’s driving me up a wall. I told him last week to clean his room, and he told me to shut the fuck up. Shut the _fuck_ up! I damn near backhanded him,” she said angrily. 

“I better never hear him say that, or anything like that. I’ll have a talk with him, see if I can get him to open up and tell me what’s going on.” 

“Hopefully you can get through because I can’t,” she sighed.

“Ok, well, that horse of a dog out there, I have to go remove his nuts, so I hate to cut this short.” He laughed. She smiled and nodded.

“Alright. See you Thursday.” She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and then she was gone. He went back to finish prepping for the surgery. Now he had to break the news to Cas that they would be having company for dinner Friday, and any other night between then and Wednesday that they wanted to get together.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 **Dean:** Hey, you busy?

 **Cas:** My class is taking a quiz. What’s up?

 **Dean:** I’m going to be having Ben for a week. I still want you to come for dinner Friday, but he will be there. Is that a problem?

 **Cas:** Of course not. How old is he?

 **Dean:** Almost sixteen, and full of attitude. Consider yourself warned.

 **Cas:** Ah, what a lovely age. They’re delightful during the teen years. If you were unable to detect my sarcasm during that response, now you know.

 **Dean:** His mom says he’s been mouthing off to her. I am going to (hopefully) nip that in the bud while I have him.

 **Cas:** Good luck. How’s Whisper?

**Dean:** Benny did the x-ray, nothing broken but she was missing a patch of fur on her side. I’m guessing from where the kid on the bike hit her.

**Cas:** Poor thing. But she’s eating and pooping ok still?

**Dean:** She is. Jo is staying with her tonight. Then tomorrow she’ll be off the IV and she’ll come home with me til she’s weaned.

**Cas:** You know, you are the most amazing man I know.

**Dean:** Really? Because I thought that title went to you.

**Cas:** We really have to stop this. Clearly you’re more amazing. 

**Dean:** What are you doing tonight?

**Cas:** Faculty bowling party. Shoot me now. It’s mandatory I show up. I’ve never bowled in my life! 

**Dean:** Never bowled? That’s insane! I’m taking you bowling one night, without team pressure.

**Cas:** Will I see you tomorrow maybe?

**Dean:** Yeah, just swing on by. I’ll be home around six.

**Cas:** I’ll see about bringing dinner. Do you like Chinese?

**Dean:** I’ll eat just about anything.

**Cas:** Good to know. I’ll text you from the restaurant tomorrow.

**Dean:** Sounds good. I have to run, I have an anal abscess to drain.

**Cas:** Do I even want to know?

**Dean:** No, you really don’t.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

The rest of the day went by rather uneventfully and before they closed up for the night, Dean went to check on Whisper. She was much perkier and tried meowing again when she saw him. He held her for a while, petting her and talking sweetly to her as she fell asleep in his hands. Once she was out, he put her back in the cage and went home.

Marv was in the hall when Dean arrived. As he walked to his apartment he eyed his neighbor warily. The man was just sort of standing in the hall with his head cocked, listening.

“Are you ok, Marv?” Dean asked carefully. If the man was half as unstable as he looked, he didn’t want to be attacked.

“Dean!” the man exclaimed and hurried over to him. “I hear cats, in the walls, I swear I do!”

Dean froze. Were the kittens mewling again? Even if they were it was highly unlikely he had heard them.

“I…don’t hear anything, Marv. Sure it wasn’t coming from outside?”

Marv pursed his lips and glared at him for a moment. Suddenly a high pitched mewling sound came from an apartment farther down the hall.

“There it is! Did you hear _that_?!”

“I did. And I hate to break it to you, Marv, but Beth is watching TV. I bet she’s watching Animal Planet again. That usually means Jake is working late.” Dean kept his voice calm. He’s always suspected Marv wasn’t exactly stable and his current state wasn’t changing Dean’s mind about that. Marv huffed out an annoyed grunt and stormed back into his apartment, slamming the door behind him. Dean looked at Cas’ door. It was like living with a landmine knowing those kittens were in the apartment right across the hall. Once he had the house he decided he would just take both kittens, and then Cas could come and visit them until he found a more pet friendly apartment. He didn’t want to risk Cas getting evicted because he had a big heart. Yeah, he’d have to bring that up later. For now there was leftover Mexican in the fridge calling his name.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, leave a comment, let me know how you liked it. Have a great day!


	7. Behold the Future

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben comes to stay with Dean and meets Cas for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heads up, here's your smut! 
> 
> Don't worry, they don't do it in the apartment with Ben there. Enjoy...

**Friday**

“Dean, why are you so nervous?” Ben asked. The kid had a wicked smirk on his face that made Dean scowl.

“I’m not nervous,” he growled, as he added the sauce to the enchiladas he had made for dinner.

“I think it’s awesome you finally met someone. I’ll be nice, I promise,” Ben said from his spot on the couch. He paused his video game a second time to look up. “What kind of stuff is he into?”

“Well, he has great taste in music, and he likes the same movies as me, but he’s also into historical documentaries. He got me to watch a few. Not as dull as I had first thought they’d be,” Dean replied as he started working on a salad. Cas was due to come over in a half hour.

“Cool. Maybe I can take one of his classes when I get to college,” Ben said as he started his game again.

“He’d probably like it if you did, but don’t expect an easy grade,” Dean said, grinning. Ben laughed.

“I wouldn’t.”

Just as Dean was putting the finishing touches on a homemade coconut flan he had made, there came a knock at the door.

“I’ll get it,” Ben announced. He paused his game and went to open the door.

“You Cas?” he asked the man standing there.

“That would be me. You must be Ben. Nice to meet you.” Cas offered his hand and Ben shook it.

“Dean’s in the kitchen. Mexican’s on the menu tonight,” Ben said, stepping aside so Cas could enter. He closed the door once the man was inside and went back to his spot on the couch, picking up where he’d left off in the game. Dean came out of the kitchen wiping his hands on a dish towel.

“Hey,” he said, kissing Cas on the cheek.

“Hi yourself.” Cas smiled and held out a bottle of wine. “We can have some tonight or whenever.”

“You didn’t have to bring anything, I told you that,” Dean said as he accepted the bottle.

“I know, but I wanted to.”

“Cool kilt. Are those comfortable?” Ben asked.

“Very,” Cas replied.

“I see you met Ben,” Dean said, rolling his eyes as he walked back to the kitchen. Cas followed.

“Yes. I see he is like most teenagers in this generation with the video games,” Cas said.

“He is, but honestly? I’d rather have him parked on my couch playing Gears of War or Grand Theft Auto or whatever he plays than to have him running the streets getting into trouble.” 

“I completely agree. To be fair, I spent a lot of time on the couch in my parents’ basement playing video games with my sister when I was his age,” Cas said with a laugh.

“Same. I can still kick my brother’s butt though,” Dean grinned. He pulled Cas closer and kissed him. “Haven’t seen you much the last few days, how’s work?”

 

“Work is good. A lot of meetings for the department lately and I swear I’ll die of boredom each time I have to attend one, but attend them I must,” Cas sighed. “How are things at work for you though?”

“Same as usual. I think I did sixty three neuters and spays this week, including removing the ovaries of a snake that has a rare genetic condition that nearly killed her. She’s a sweet thing too. Feels much better now,” Dean replied.

A snake? Really?” Cas hadn’t expected that.

“A lot of vets deal only in cats and dogs. Benny and I deal in everything, though I tend to handle more of the reptiles. They creep him out. He’ll handle the little ones, but I take the larger ones. You’d be surprise what I treat, and what I’ve done surgeries on. I once removed a beach towel from a python’s belly. Snake lived.”

“I think I could sit and listen to you talk about these stories all night. They fascinate me,” Cas said as he watched Dean set the bottle of wine on the counter and take down two glasses.

“I have a plethora. I could freak you out with some stories from when I interned, too.” Dean set the flan back in the fridge. “Help me set the table?”

Working as a team they got the table set and wine poured for them both. A can of root beer was set by Ben’s chair. When the boy came into the kitchen, he had a suspicious lump in the front pocket of his sweat jacket. A jacket he had not been wearing when Cas arrived. Dean pursed his lips and frowned.

“Ben. No pets at the dinner table.”

“But she was crying! She needed comfort,” Ben whined. 

“What? Whisper is here?” Cas asked. As if on cue a tiny white head popped out of Ben’s pocket. “Oh! She looks so good!” He reached out to scratch her head.

“Ben, put her back in her box until after dessert, please,” Dean said firmly.

“Can I do it?” Cas asked. Dean shook his head, laughing.

“Sure, babe. Box is in the corner of the living room.”

Cas looked up, surprised by the term of endearment and smiled. He reached out to carefully withdraw the tiny kitten. “How old is she now?” he asked as she tried to crawl up his chest. She pushed her head against his chin as she tried to nestle into the space there.

“She is approximately five weeks old. We’re out of the danger zone as far as anemia goes, and dehydration. We have her ear infection under control, and the fleas are gone. She eats like a little piggy.” Dean said as he reached over to scratch Whisper’s cheek. “She’s incredibly sweet too, as you can tell.”

Cas cradled the tiny kitten as he stood up. He’d never held anything so tiny, and he couldn’t help but kiss the top of her head as he left the kitchen. When he returned he went to the sink and washed his hands. Dean had served salad in bowls and was placing enchiladas on his plate, and Ben was already eating.

“These are really good. Will you make these again soon?” Ben asked.

“Sure, kiddo,” Dean said, smiling.

“He’s right, these are phenomenal. I really should pass this recipe along to my mother. She doesn’t make Mexican too often, but I believe she would enjoy this dish.” Cas said after sitting down and taking a bite. 

“Do you like flan? I made one for dessert,” Dean asked. Cas nodded.

“Oh yes, I love flan.”

“Me too. Dean’s the best cook ever. Way better than my mom. She makes crap from a box most of the time, even on the weekends when she’s home. I miss getting Dean’s good food every night. When Mom said I had to come here while she was out of town I was excited because it meant real food for a whole week,” Ben said, grinning. Dean laughed and ruffled the boy’s hair.

“So that’s what you’re using me for, eh?” he teased. Ben moved out of Dean’s reach and grinned wider.

“No way, I just like it here better. Mom doesn’t like anything I do. Says I’m too much like you.” 

“Me?” Dean asked, surprised.

Ben nodded. “Yeah, says I act like you and talk like you, but that I have an attitude. I just get tired of her nagging.”

“Speaking of, why did you tell her to shut the fuck up the other day? That was very rude and disrespectful.” Dean waggled his fork in Ben’s direction. The boy dropped his eyes in shame.

“She has been on my case for weeks now. Nothing I do is good enough. I accidentally turned a load of laundry gray because I tossed in a black tee shirt with the whites, and she screamed at me for that. Then I got a C on a biology test and I got yelled at about that, but I was out with the flu for almost a week beforehand and missed most of the chapter we were studying, and the teacher is a dick and doesn’t give extensions, regardless of whether you are sick or not. All this week she just kept nagging, about grades, about my room not being clean, about the dishes not being done, and I snapped. I know it was wrong, but she’s driving me nuts!”

Dean looked across the table to Cas. He had no idea what the right thing to do or say was.

“Perhaps your mother is under more stress lately. What does she do for a living?” Cas asked.

“She’s a pediatric nurse,” Ben replied.

“Oh, that is a very stressful job. My guess would be that she has probably lost an infant in her care recently and it has upset her. It is difficult having a parent constantly riding you for things that may seem trivial to you, but I learned with my own parents that when they do that, it means they have something else very stressful going on with their lives. Try talking to her about what’s going on with her life. She might just really need someone to talk to,” Cas said. Ben looked at him for a moment and he honestly thought the kid was going to get snippy with him, but then he nodded and gave a little half smile.

“Yeah, maybe you’re right. I’ll try.”

“If you need me to talk to her, I will,” Dean said.

“I’ll talk to her first, then I’ll let you know,” Ben told him.

After dinner they enjoyed the flan, and then Ben went back to the couch to pick up where he’d left off in the game. Dean led Cas to his bedroom.

“I’m not pushing for anything, but I have a second television in here, so we can relax in peace,” he explained. They carried their glasses of wine with them and Dean closed the door before heading to the TV and turning it on. They settled back on the bed, Cas removing his boots and laying back against the pillows, crossing his legs at the ankle.

“How many kilts do you own?” Dean asked him as he searched for something interesting to watch.

“I have no idea, I pick up a couple new ones every year. Maybe twenty or thirty?”

“I like them. You have great legs,” Dean told him. Cas smiled and wiggled his hips.

“Why thank you, Doctor Winchester.”

Dean snorted before finally settling on a rerun of Law and Order. Cas finished his wine and set his glass on the nightstand. When Dean finished his, he set the glass on the nightstand on his side of the bed. The moment his hands were free Cas moved closer, settling in against his side. Dean’s fingers found their way into Cas’ hair where they lazily stroked through the soft strands.

“I love your hair. Don’t cut it shorter. I like running my fingers through it,” Dean said absently, his mind focusing on the plot of the story.

I don’t look good with it shorter than this. My mother used to shave my brother and me when we were little and even my sister’s hair was kept short. We all looked really dumb.” Cas snuggled in closer, draping an arm over Dean’s belly.

Having Cas so close was distracting. It had been forever since Dean had had sex, and even longer since it had been with a man. Cas smelled good, like the lavender soap and the fresh rain laundry detergent he used. They were smells that made Dean think immediately of Cas, and they were something he already loved about the man. His last boyfriend had usually smelled of sweat and concrete, but then again the man worked construction, so it sort of came with the territory. 

“I don’t think she’s guilty. Someone put her up to it.” Cas said, nodding towards the screen.

“You think? I’m not so sure. I think she might just be a really good actress. I mean, they did say she had a prior record,” Dean countered.

“Mmm, but for shoplifting. Jumping from shoplifting to murder is a like trying to jump the Grand Canyon. I think she’s being framed, or she’s covering for someone.” Cas said. Dean kissed the top of his boyfriend’s head.

“I think you’re right.”

Cas lifted his head, smiling up at him and Dean took the opportunity to kiss him. Cas melted into it, letting Dean push him back against the pillows as the kiss deepened. As Dean’s tongue found its way into his mouth, Cas’ fingers found the edge of Dean’s tee shirt and slid underneath it. Muscles fluttered under his touch. He pulled Dean closer, his hands busily exploring the warm flesh he’d been dying to touch as the first real sparks of arousal flared low in his belly. He wanted Dean. Bad. If not for the fact that there was a child, teenager or not, in the other room, he was ready. It had been a year and a half since he’d had sex and God did he have needs begging to be filled, but it just didn’t feel right. What if Ben heard them?

“Dean?” He pulled back enough to whisper the man’s name.

“Yeah, I know, Ben.” The other man dropped his head to Cas’ chest and groaned.

“I want to, really I do. Do you think he’d be ok here a few hours if we went back to my apartment? Or is he going to know what we’d be doing there? Will he tell his mother? I don’t want to ruin your relationship with him.” Cas was worried, he didn’t want to get Ben barred from Dean’s.

“What conclusions do you think he jumped to when we came in here? He doesn’t care. He would rather be here with me than at home. I’ve always been a place where he could escape to and wind down. It gives him and Lisa a break. As it is, he’ll be playing his games til he crashes around two. That’s what he does on weekends when he’s here.” Dean kissed the curve of Cas’ neck where it met his shoulder, feeling the way the man shivered beneath him.

“We aren’t setting a good example then,” Cas said.

“Cas, baby, people have sex all the time, including his mother, who occasionally brings guys home. I know, I have to hear Ben complain about them. And she knows I know. It’s ok, and we are not setting a bad example. He’s been begging me for years to find someone.” Dean kissed him again, this time on the lips.

“Ok, but I’d still prefer if we went over to my apartment. I am not exactly quiet,” Cas said. Dean picked his head up quickly to look at him.

“Oh… _really_?”

“If you want to find out, you need to come with me, because I’m going to go back to my place now.” Cas slid out from underneath him and sat on the edge of the bed to pull his boots back on. Dean groaned as he flopped onto his back. His dick was hard and straining against his jeans. How the hell was he supposed to march past the couch and past Ben with _that_ in his pants? 

“Come on, gorgeous.” Cas leaned over to kiss him, one hand coming to rest on his upper thigh and sending sparks of electricity through him.

“Fine, but let me do the talking, ok?” Dean said as he got up. He found his gym shoes and put them on. Grabbing his flannel, wallet, and keys he started for the door.

“What do you need all that for?” Cas asked.

“Follow my lead, ok?”

Cas nodded and together they walked into the living room.

“You guys finished doing ‘the nasty’ already?” Ben teased.

“Hardy har, har, smart ass. We were watching Law and Order for your information. We’re going to go out for a couple of hours, get a drink or two. No one is allowed in while I’m gone, you understand?” Dean’s tone was firm, parental, and Cas bit down on his lower lip to hide his smile. Ben gave an exaggerated eye roll and an equally exaggerated sigh.

“Yes _Dad_. I’m just going to be playing this anyway. Mom won’t let me when I’m at home.”

“You have my number. Call me if you need me,” Dean said. Ben nodded and Dean started for the door, placing a hand gently on Cas’ back to steer him into the hall. He shut the door and they made their way over to Cas’ apartment.

“I got tested, Dean. I wanted you to know,” Cas said as they stepped into his apartment.

“So did I. I’m negative across the board.” Dean closed the door behind him and tossed his flannel on the couch.

“Same. I needed you to know because I-I can’t touch or be touched with latex, I’m allergic.” Cas pulled his boots off and toed his socks off. He stepped into Dean’s personal space, his lips going immediately for the spot behind the man’s right ear. Dean grabbed Cas’ hips and gasped as the man pushed his legs apart and pressed up against him. “Are you alright with that?” He murmured the words against Dean’s heated skin.

“Fuck yeah I’m alright with that!” Normally Dean’s hands would be going for the zipper on Cas’ pants, but he wasn’t wearing any. Curiosity got the better of him though and he wanted to see if Cas wore kilts like a true Scotsman or not. As Cas’ mouth found his again he slid one hand down to the edge of the kilt and pulled it up. The material was heavier than expected, but he managed to raise it up enough that he could caress the soft skin of Cas’ thigh, earning soft whimpers from his boyfriend’s lips. Dean’s entire body was tingling with anticipation as his hand slid farther up, finding nothing but the smooth, bare skin of the man’s hip. Fuck that was hot!

“Bedroom, now,” Cas growled. He pulled back and marched down the hall, past the still closed bathroom door where the kittens were being kept and into the bedroom that until now Dean had not gotten to see, and Dean followed. He flipped on the light and turned to face Dean.

Normally Cas was gentle and sweet, never demanding of anything, but now? Now there was fire in those blue eyes as he reached past Dean to shut the bedroom door. He looped his index fingers in Dean’s pants and pulled him over to the bed.

“Lie down,” he ordered. Dean shivered at the sound of the man’s voice. Normally it was deep, but now it dropped even lower. He quickly sat down on the edge of the bed, and Cas pushed his legs apart so he could stand between them. Dean had a clear view of the hardon straining against the fabric of the kilt.

“I want you, Dean. So bad it physically hurts, but we need to have a quick talk.” Cas tilted Dean’s chin up until their eyes met.

“O-ok, about what?”

“I want to know where you stand in the bedroom,” Cas replied. It took Dean’s brain a moment to catch up. Where he stood? 

Oh. Cas was asking what position he wanted. His fingers itched with a need to touch, but he kept his hands in his lap until he was given the go ahead.

Cas was observant though. He took Dean’s hands and placed them on his thighs. “Touch me, Dean, I know you’re wanting to.” 

Dean wasn’t going to argue that. His hands slid under the kilt, feeling the taut muscles of the man’s upper thighs. Powerful legs…

“What do _you_ want, Cas?” he asked, hearing how broken his own voice already sounded. Dean loved to bottom; he preferred it, but if Cas wanted him to take the reins here, he would.

“I spent nine and a half miserable years in a relationship I was not permitted to grow sexually in. It was all I knew, and out of fear I was willing to commit to that for the rest of my life. I’m not scared anymore, and I want more, but only with you, Dean. I…am a top that wasn’t allowed to be myself. Will you let me be?”

Dean wanted to sob with relief. Topping was something he hadn’t even liked with Lisa. 

“Baby, I want that too. I want it so much, you have no idea. I’ll never be someone that’s going to hold you back.” He squeezed the firm muscles under his fingertips and looked up to find those blue eyes watching him intently. “Can I?” His eyes flickered down to the kilt that his hands were still under, still kneading the firm, muscular thighs hidden under the burgundy fabric.

“I don’t want to come until I’m inside you, but yes, you can.” 

Dean didn’t hesitate. He used one hand to find Cas’ cock and the other to lift the kilt up. Cas gasped when he swiped a thumb over the head. Dean got a good look, smiling when he realized the man was uncut. Well that was a first, at least for him. He darted his tongue out, taking a taste of the pre-come already beading on the head. Liking the way it tasted, he leaned forward to run his tongue down the length before drawing back up to the head and wrapping his lips around it and taking nearly the whole thing down. Cas, he wasn’t a small guy…

“Fuck!” Cas hissed. His fingers stroked the back of Dean’s head, nails scratching against the short hairs at the nape as Dean opened his throat as much as he could to take in as much as possible. Dean moaned as he placed one hand on either of Cas’ thighs and slowly began to move. Up and down his mouth moved, sucking hard as he pulled back, pausing to lick just under the head before running his tongue back down the man’s length to gently suck his balls into his mouth.

“Dean!” Cas growled, but he wasn’t pulling back or pushing him away, so Dean took that as a sign the man liked what he was doing. Dean swallowed him down again, his cheeks hollowing to give even more pressure. Cas’s fingers flew to his belt, and he was quickly undoing it before finding the buttons on the side of the kilt. Within seconds it dropped to the floor, and he was left standing there wearing nothing but his button down. When his fingers went to the first button, Dean pulled off his cock and reached up to stop him.

“No, I want to.” Slowly he undid each button until the shirt hung open. From where he sat on the bed he was able to kiss his way across the man’s stomach as his hands went around to cup the man’s ass. It was as firm and round as he had imagined. One day he wanted to be balls deep inside of it, but today was not that day. For now he was content to let Cas be in control. 

With the shirt unbuttoned completely, Dean pushed it off his shoulders and sat back to get a good look at the man. Good _God_ Cas was gorgeous! All strong muscles and smooth skin, and that cock…He was going to ache for _days_ ….

“Clothing off, now,” Cas demanded as he reached for Dean’s tee shirt. He pulled it over Dean’s head and dropped it to the floor. Placing a palm flat against Dean’s chest, he pushed him back until he was lying on the bed with his feet still on the floor. Dean lifted his head just enough to watch as Cas undid the button on his jeans and worked them down his legs. 

“You’re so beautiful, Dean. So, so beautiful.” There was awe in the man’s voice, and the words were spoken so gently, it was a complete one eighty from the dominance he’d been displaying just moments before. “Come back here,” he said softly as he dropped to his knees between Dean’s legs. 

“What’s the matter, sweetheart?” Dean asked as he sat up. His fingers eased their way through the man’s dark locks. 

“N-nothing. It’s a bit overwhelming.” Cas murmured as he wrapped his arms around Dean’s middle and squeezed him.

“Do you not want to do this? We don’t have to; we can wait. I don’t want do to do anything you’re not ready for.” Dean spoke gently as he kissed Cas’ forehead.

“No, I want to. That’s not what’s so overwhelming. It’s how I _feel_ about you. I’ve never fit so well with another person before in my life. I’m so comfortable with you, Dean. I…” He sighed and squeezed Dean tighter.

Dean understood. He’d been awash lately in the same emotions. But how does one fall in love so quickly? It didn’t seem possible, but what he felt for Cas was much deeper than just like. Shit, after only a couple of weeks he felt more deeply about Cas than he had in two relationships with Lisa.

“I know. I understand how you’re feeling because I feel it too.” 

Cas lifted his head and looked up at him. “Yeah?” God, Dean felt he could just drown in those two pools of blue just looking at the man. He smiled and leaned down to kiss him.

“Yeah.” 

This time when Cas surged forward to kiss him back he was more forceful. Dean moaned as Cas maneuvered him onto his back again and eased him slowly up the bed until his head was on the pillows. Cas moved slower as he removed Dean’s boxer briefs, taking his time to kiss every inch of new skin he exposed. Words were murmured softly against his flesh as Cas nuzzled against the base of his cock.

“Nng…Cas…” He barely got the man’s name out before a hot tongue was sliding up the underside of his dick to press against the underside of the glans. That drew a deep moan from so far down in Dean’s throat it startled him to hear it. He hadn’t thought himself capable of making such noises. Cas definitely knew what he was doing as he licked across the tip, lapping up the pre-come dribbling out before swirling his tongue around the head and swallowing him down.

“F-Fuck!” Dean gasped as he grabbed handfuls of the blanket underneath him and hung on for dear life. “G-gonna come if you d-don’t s-stop!” 

Cas didn’t stop though. He instead hollowed his cheeks, sucking harder, faster as one hand cupped Dean’s balls and rolled them and he used his tongue again to rub along the underside of his glans. Dean came with a shout, his back arching off the bed and Cas’ name on his lips. Cas slowed the movement of his mouth as Dean shuddered and collapsed back against the bed. His arms and legs felt like jelly, and he wasn’t sure he’d be able to move. Cas took his time crawling back up over Dean’s body, first kissing slowly along the insides of his thighs, drawing softer moans from his boyfriend’s lips before moving to his hips, nipping lightly just to hear the sounds Dean would make before moving on to his belly, his chest, lavishing attention to each nipple until Dean couldn’t decide whether he was ready to burst from overstimulation or if he wanted Cas to do more. His hands came up, clinging to his lover’s back as Cas’ tongue found that sensitive space behind his ear that had him gasping and arching off the bed.

“Cas, Cas please…” He brought his legs up, wrapping them around Cas’ thighs and pulling him down against him. It had been ages since he’d been able to get hard right away after coming, but he was already halfway there just from Cas’ lips and tongue exploring. Cas planted a hand on either side of Dean’s head and pushed back.

“Roll over, Dean. I’m not done with you yet.” 

Dean let his legs drop so Cas could sit back, and then he was rolling onto his stomach. Cas’ hands went to his back, fingers running down the length of his spine making his skin tingle with anticipation before moving to the slight pudge just above his hips.

“Don’t manhandle my fat,” Dean huffed. Cas grinned and slid farther down the bed so he could kiss the skin that his boyfriend was so sensitive about.

“I happen to love your body. It’s perfect.” He nipped lightly at Dean’s right ass cheek, smiling when the man jumped and gasped beneath him.

“I’m just grabbing the lube,” he said as he reached over to pull his bottle of out of the drawer next to the bed. As he poured some over the first couple fingers of his right hand he looked down again at Dean. Almost ten years he had been with Alex and never, not once had he ever been permitted to top. Before Alex he had almost always topped. The man had systematically worked to strip Cas of everything that made him who he was, from how he acted in his day-to-day life to how he was “allowed” to act in the bedroom, until he thought he had full control. He thought he had stripped away Cas’ willpower, his ability to say no, to fight back, that Cas would just sit back and tolerate Alex sleeping with other people because he was bored with Cas. Everything was different with Dean though, right from the moment they’d first met. Dean was willing to not only give Cas the control he needed, he was helping Cas in ways he probably didn’t even realize. Cas had figured out rather quickly that Dean was a nurturer by nature. He’d cared for his younger brother; he’d cared for Lisa, he even took on caring for Ben long after that relationship had ended, and not because he felt an obligation to do so. He truly loved the boy and wanted him to grow up happy and well adjusted. And Dean cared for him too, but he was willing to step back during times when Cas needed to be the one doing the caring, when Cas needed to be the one to fuss and fawn over him. Alex had never let him, but Dean, Dean was nothing like Alex. With Dean he could be himself and know that he was accepted. It was an incredible feeling to know that someone genuinely cared for him. It had been so very long since he’d had a partner that truly cared. Dean was much more special than he realized.

For one, the man was incredibly easy to like. Dean was sweet and smart, and incredibly gentle, both with people and with animals. He took it in stride when Cas showed up at the clinic with Whisper, not even batting an eye, and he was gracious and truly thankful when Cas had shown up with food and a blanket. And now…

He ran one hand down Dean’s back again before nudging his legs open more to expose him. He hadn’t been lying when he said this was overwhelming. The fact that Dean would just agree and go with his wishes right away, without argument or debate, it meant the world to him. The man got him on a fundamental level that most people didn’t want to bother to do. And he felt that he understood Dean as well. Right now, he wanted this to be a wonderful experience for the man that he knew without a doubt that he was in love with, even if he wasn’t quite ready to say those words out loud. Slowly he circled the tight ring of muscles between Dean’s legs, waiting for the man to relax before he slid one finger in. The sinful moans that slipped from those perfect lips were music to Cas’ ears. He could spend a lifetime hearing them and never grow tired of it. Dean was hot and tight, and he ached with a need to be inside the man, but he wasn’t going to rush it and hurt him. 

“It’s good, baby, you can add another.” Dean had turned his head to the side so Cas would hear him. Cas pulled his finger out completely before sliding two back in. Dean whimpered and pushed back on them, willing Cas to get a move on. So he did.

Keeping his slow but steady pace, Cas worked Dean open. A third finger was added, stretching the man open while Cas’ free hand smoothed up and down the man’s back. Dean was probably the most beautiful man he had ever laid eyes on. How had it taken him six weeks to notice Dean? Was he that oblivious to the world around him? He shook his head. Yes, he decided, but he wasn’t going to be anymore. He was going to notice everything where Dean was concerned. Right now he was noticing the way Dean was panting and letting out tiny moans each time Cas pulled pack or pushed in. He crooked his fingers, sliding the tips across Dean’s insides until he found that bundle of nerves he knew would cause fireworks to explode behind the man’s eyes. Indeed, Dean shouted, his entire body shaking with pleasure.

“Cas, fuck, feels so good, but I want _you_ , baby. I want you inside me.” Dean pushed back against his fingers, inadvertently causing them to brush his prostate again and he whimpered.

“It’s alright Dean, I’ve got you,” Cas said as he picked up the bottle of lube. He withdrew his fingers and poured some into his hand. His own dick was leaking so much pre-come the blankets beneath him were damp with it, but he didn’t care. All he wanted right now was to be inside Dean, to feel that wonderful, hot pressure surrounding him. He patted Dean’s hip.

“Up on all fours for me.”

Dean did as he was told, spreading his legs and presenting himself. Cas groaned at the sight. Soon. Someday soon he would make this man devolve into a hot, quivering mess with nothing but his tongue and lips, but for the moment he was going to do that with his cock. He scooted forward and after a few strokes to his own cock to generously lube it up, he pushed it against Dean’s rim. There was a slight hiss from Dean but then the man was pushing back, urging him to get inside.

Inch by inch he slid in, using every sound Dean made as a cue as to whether he should wait or keep going. When he was finally all the way in, his hips pressed securely against Dean’s ass, he allowed himself a moment to breathe. Dean didn’t push him; he waited patiently. Finally, he smoothed his hands down the man’s sides and began to move. Oh, the noises Dean made were the most beautiful sounds in the world! In and out he moved, slowly beginning to increase his pace once he began to feel the delicious heat coiling low in his belly. He draped himself over Dean, grabbing his shoulders as his hips began to thrust faster, harder, pulling all kinds of whimpers and sobs from the man beneath him. His orgasm was close, he could feel it, so be brought a hand down to Dean’s cock. It was hard and leaking again, so he wrapped his hand around it, jerking it in time with his thrusts until Dean was screaming his name and spilling across the blankets beneath him. He tightened so much around Cas that his own orgasm ripped through him after only a few more thrusts, and then he was screaming himself. Slowly he eased his thrusts until he was able to stop completely. He pulled out, regretting the whimper he heard Dean make.

“I’m sorry, darling, I didn’t mean to hurt you.” 

Dean had collapsed back on the mattress, still on his stomach but as Cas laid out next to him he turned to look up at him.

“I’m fine. God that was amazing.” He scooted closer so he could turn on his side and drape one arm over Cas’ stomach. “You’re amazing.”

Cas smiled and kissed Dean’s forehead gently. “Thank you for that. I feel like I got a piece of myself back that was long missing. I want to take care of you, Dean. Bring you joy, pleasure, to make your body sing.”

“Sing, eh? Well, you sure had me singing. I loved it.” Dean’s expression sobered and he lifted his head to place a tender kiss to Cas’ shoulder. “Anyone that would try to dampen your fire, to destroy who you are, they don’t deserve you. I’m glad your ex screwed up, even if it was with your sister. It allowed you the chance to free yourself and relearn who you are. And it gave me the chance to get to know you. You make me happy, Cas, happier than maybe I’ve ever been before. I don’t want to do anything to ruin that.”

Cas couldn’t hide the dopey smile on his face, and he didn’t want to. He scooted farther down and lifted one arm so Dean could get closer. His body was warm against Cas’ side, and it felt so right, like it was always Dean that belonged there. God he was turning into such a sap as he got older!

For a long time they just laid there, talking about everything and nothing at all, just anything that came to mind. Dean loved these moments most of all. They had them often. Just sitting and talking, learning everything there was to know about one another. When Dean shifted and realized the blankets beneath him were sealed to his side now with dried come, he grimaced.

“Come on, we’ll go take a shower together.” Cas got up, pulling Dean up with him. Walking to the bathroom proved difficult with Dean wrapped around him, kissing the back of his neck while his hands were wandering all over Cas’ body. They were both laughing, until they opened the bathroom door and tiny balls of fur were trying to climb their bare legs.

“Ah!” Cas cried. Dean caught both kittens and picked them up.

“For a moment I forgot they were in here.” He laughed as the kittens began purring and pawing at his face. “I think they are feeling rather needy.”

“Yeah. But do you know what I need? The skin on my legs to still be there.” Cas grumbled as he sat down on the toilet and pulled toilet paper off to wipe at the spots of blood on his legs.

“Do you let them run around the apartment at all?” Dean asked.

“When I’m home I do. When I’m not, they go in here.” Cas found the peroxide and cleaned up his scratches. He noticed a scratch on Dean’s leg and cleaned that as well.

“How’s the apartment hunt going?” Dean asked.

“It’s not really. I have mostly been looking online because I haven’t had a whole lot of time to go out looking. In this area a lot of places are overpriced because of the students. I thought I found a nice place, but then I went to look at it and the buildings on either side are filled with college students and there was blaring music and I could smell pot. Plus the apartment had roaches. Gross,” Cas replied.

“I was thinking. I don’t want you to get evicted over these guys. When I move into my house, I can take them with me and then you can take your time looking. Or stay here for a while longer. Whatever you decide to do. Maybe next year we can work on maybe you moving in with me.” Dean deliberately kept his attention on the kittens as he talked but he could feel Cas’ eyes on him.

“Dean.”

“Yeah?” He focused on Camille rubbing her cheek against his nose.

“Look at me, please.”

Dean suddenly felt incredibly nervous, like he’d said too much and had in fact gone and jinxed everything he had with Cas.

“You would want that?” Cas asked.

“Cas, I’m not looking for casual relationships. I already told you that. I’m looking for the person I can spend the rest of my life with. Do I think it’s too soon to live together? Yes, I do. We’re still getting to know one another, but eventually? Yes, I want that, but only if you do as well. If that’s not what you’re looking for, I’d rather you tell me now. I already know how I feel about you and it will hurt like a bitch to lose you, but it would be better to know I’m not wanted in that way now than months or years down the line. I want a family someday, Cas. The house is just the first step.” Dean took in a shaky breath as he watched Cas get up from the toilet seat and approach him.

“I want that too, Dean. I want that with you, but I agree, it’s too soon. Any place I get though is going to have a new six month to one year lease agreement, and I’d have to break the one here, so perhaps it would be wise to remain here while the cats stay at the house. Until my lease is up.”

Dean hadn’t realized he was shaking until Cas was pulling him into his arms and kissing him. Aristotle smacked Cas’ nose playfully, which made them both laugh.

“Let’s rinse off,” Cas said and Dean nodded. He closed the bathroom door so the kittens would stay in the room with them before setting them down. He found a feather toy in the corner and dangled it until Aristotle lunged up to grab it.

“I’ll set an appointment next week to spay and neuter them both. I want to do it while they’re young,” he said.

“Alright. Should I take the day off work?” Cas asked as he started the shower.

“No, I’ll come by before I head in and pick them up, then I’ll bring them back with me when I come home. Wait, we need a soft carrier, one that looks like luggage so no one realizes what’s in the bag,” Dean said.

“We didn’t pick one up,” Cas pointed out. “We grabbed a hard carrier.”

“Then I suppose we should head out to the pet store tomorrow morning and grab one.” Dean followed Cas into the tub and let the man gently scrub the crusted semen from his body.

“Think Ben would like to come? We can do breakfast and maybe a movie after,” Cas said.

“I think he’d like that. He’s been after me to take him to see the new Star Wars movie. Have you seen it yet?” Dean asked. Cas shook his head.

“No, but I want to. I think that will be fun now that the excitement has died down a bit. We’ll make a day of it.” 

“I like the sound of that. I’ll have to stop back in the afternoon to feed Whisper, but otherwise we can do whatever.” Dean smiled. It sounded like a family day to him. He hadn’t realized how badly he wanted days like that until now. Cas smiled back before leaning in to kiss him.

“Then it’s a date.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have I fluffed you to death yet? I hope so!
> 
> Fyi, (like you all haven't noticed already) I have a thing for Cas being on top. I do hope you liked the chapter. Leave me a comment, let me know what you think.


	8. Family is More Than Just Blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben is thrilled to meet Camille and Aristotle, and he turns out to be just as bad as Cas at manipulating Dean into spoiling kittens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy the fluff, my friends. There is maybe one more chapter after this.

**SATURDAY**

The next morning they were hard pressed to tear Ben away from Camille and Aristotle once they told him about them. He laid on Cas’ living room floor giggling as they climbed all over him. Dean loved seeing the boy so carefree and happy. Ben spent so much time trying to maintain his tough image, but Dean saw right through it. He knew the boy was much more sensitive than he let on, and that he had a deep love for animals. It wouldn’t have surprised him to find that Ben wanted to be a vet like him someday. Once they were able to pull him away, they got moving. Ben was excited to go to the pet store. He was eager to pick things out for the kittens and he begged Dean for toys for Whisper. Dean gave in, picking up toys and a little bed for her. Ben found a pink collar with diamonds for her and really laid on the puppy dog eyes. Dean was double teamed though as Cas was just as bad. He gave in and walked out of the store having spent nearly a hundred dollars on Whisper alone.

“She’s going to look so cute in this. I can’t wait to put this on her,” Ben said excitedly as they left the store.

“It’ll be a few more weeks before she fits into it. You’ll have to wait.” Dean told him.

“Can I come next weekend? Please? Mom won’t say no!” the boy begged.

“You going to help me with moving? Because I’ll probably be moving that weekend.”

“The house you took me to? I get my own room, right?” Ben asked.

“Yep. Any color you want, I’ll get the paint for it,” Dean replied.

“Can Whisper stay in there with me when I’m there?” 

Dean looked at Cas who snickered and bit down on his lower lip in a failed attempt to hide his smile.

“You’re not helping,” Dean chided. Cas broke out in a grin.

“Sorry. She is a sweet girl. Are three cats too many?” he asked.

“Three? You’re gonna keep Camille and Aristotle too?” Ben cried.

“Cas and I have been talking. Cats are not allowed in the building so Aristotle and Camille will come to the house with me, and when Cas’ lease is up on his apartment, he’s going to move in with me,” Dean explained. Ben’s eyes lit up.

“Cool! I’m coming over _every_ weekend!”

Dean found Cas’ hand and squeezed it tight. Cas smiled up at him. Maybe he had his family after all, as unusual as it might be.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**WEDNESDAY**

Dean and Cas were sitting on the couch looking through an Ikea catalog for a new couch for the new house while Ben fussed over Whisper, dangling her feather toy over her head and watching her try to grab at it when someone knocked at the door.

“That’s probably Lis,” Dean said as he got up. 

“Already?” Ben whined.

“Shh, be nice.” Dean laughed as he walked to the door. He checked through the eyehole first, confirming it was indeed Lisa before opening the door.

“Hey, how was the conference?” he asked as he opened the door. She looked exhausted.

“Long and dull. I did learn about some new advances though in the treatment of seizures in newborns, so it wasn’t all a bust.” She stepped into the apartment, stopping short when she saw Cas on the couch. He stood up and offered his hand.

“Hello, I’m Cas.” 

She smiled before shaking it. “Nice to meet you. I heard my son is in love with you. He raved about you every time we talked,” she laughed. Cas grinned.

“He’s a great kid, very sweet.”

Her eyes widened. “So he behaved himself?”

“He was on his best behavior, Lis. No worries,” Dean said as he closed the door. He motioned to Ben who was still across the room playing with Whisper. The boy scooped the kitten up and carried her over.

“Look mom, Dean and Cas have kittens! This is Whisper; she’s deaf.” Ben held the kitten up so his mom could see her.

“Oh, she’s beautiful!” She scratched the kitten’s head and Whisper opened her mouth, giving one of her patent silent meows. “Can she not make any sound?”

“There’s nothing wrong that I could see with her vocal cords, she just doesn’t realize she’s not making any sound. Works for me though,” Dean chuckled.

“Dean says she can sleep with me in my room at his house.” Ben said excitedly. Lisa looked up at Dean, impressed by the 180 change in her son’s attitude.

“Hey, Lis, can we talk for a minute?” Dean asked. 

“Yeah, sure.” 

She followed him to his room. Once she was inside he closed the door and turned to look at her.

“I know Ben is a handful. I can’t imagine a teenager that isn’t. He did open up to me a bit this week. Mostly he said you’ve been riding him. Hell, I had to do a bit of nagging to make sure he picked up his dirty clothes, but it had me worrying about you. Are you doing ok? It sounded to me like maybe you are under more stress with work.” 

She sighed deeply as she rubbed at her eyes. “They changed my hours, and yeah, I’ve been under more stress. I’m the head nurse now, so I’m running the department now too. I’m tired all the time. Maybe I am a bit bitchy. I don’t mean to be, but he’s not making things any easier on me when he doesn’t help around the house. It just adds to my stress.”

“Have you talked to Ben about what’s going on? About the extra pressure you have now at work? He thinks you’re just being a nagging mom. Cas was urging him to try seeing things from your point of view, and to go easy on you. He’s fifteen but he’s a bright kid, and he’s receptive. Talk to him, and if you need to talk to someone else, I’m here to listen.” He rubbed her shoulder and she nodded.

“Yeah. I still see him as my little boy but he’s almost a man. I’m so not ready for that.” She shook her head sadly.

“I know. Hey, he wants to come help me move this weekend. I put in the down payment and signed all the papers. The house is mine, and I have the keys. We moved a few things over this week, but I’m doing the big move this weekend. I could use the extra hands,” he said. 

“Sure, sure, that’s perfectly fine. I have to work all weekend so knowing he’s with you gives me peace of mind. He really likes that kitten,” she smiled. “I never thought you’d own cats; you’re allergic.”

“I am on a prescribed allergy medicine and I vacuum daily. New house has hardwood floors, so less dander,” he smiled. “I never thought I’d have cats either, but Cas is really a big cat person. Looks like I’ll have three. Hope my medicine holds up.” 

“For your sake, I hope it does.” She punched his arm lightly. “I envy you, Cas is really gorgeous. Does he always wear kilts?”

“Yeah, pretty much. I lucked out with him.” He grinned.

“So you guys are pretty serious then, it sounds like. Ben said he’s moving in at the house.”

Dean nodded. “Not til his lease here is up, but yes. I’m sure he’ll be spending most of his time at the house anyway.”

“I’m sure. If Ben likes him, that tells me he’s a good person. Ben doesn’t like too many people anymore,” she said.

“Yes, I know that to be very true.” He opened the door and they walked back into the living room. “Do you want me to pick him up Friday? I can.”

“Sure. Ben, honey? You’re going to spend the weekend with Dean to help him move and get settled. I’m sure your kittens will appreciate the added time you spend to help them get settled as well,” Lisa told her son.

“Awesome!” Ben had handed Whisper to Cas, who settled back on the couch with the sleeping kitten curled up in his lap, and he fist pumped the air excitedly. “I have new posters to put up in my room, too!”

“After we paint. The room is white. Next weekend, once everything starts to settle in and I have most of the place unpacked we can start to worry about paint colors,” Dean told him. Ben nodded.

“Yeah, ok.”

“Let’s get going, honey. I’m exhausted after that flight, and I need a good night’s rest. So glad I’m off tomorrow.” She sighed. She leaned up to kiss Dean on the cheek before starting for the door. Ben grabbed the duffel bag he always carried with him when he spent the night at Dean’s and after giving Whisper one more scratch on the head, he followed his mom.

“See you Friday, Dean! You too, Cas!” Ben gave a wave before leaving. Dean walked over and flopped down on the couch next to Cas.

“You need to finish packing,” Cas said. Dean groaned and let his head fall back against the couch.

“I know. But I don’t wanna.”

Cas chuckled and shifted so he could lean over and kiss Dean’s neck.

“But you need to be out of the apartment by next week Friday, so you need to because we’ll have to do a deep cleaning in here before you hand the keys back to the landlord. I really, really hope it’s not another oddball like Marv that moves in here,” he said.

“Or some sexy woman that wants to get under your kilt,” Dean grumbled.

“Dean, are you jealous?” Cas sat back, grinning.

“No.” Dean huffed.

“Well, no need to worry, I’m not attracted to women.” Cas leaned his head on Dean’s shoulder.

“You’re gay?” Dean asked as he lifted an arm and put it around Cas’ shoulder. “I never thought to ask.”

“I am. I didn’t think it mattered one way or the other. Besides, Chris Hemsworth could move in across the hall and I wouldn’t bat an eye. My heart is taken.” Cas sighed contentedly.

“Chris _is_ gorgeous.” Dean had to admit to that.

“Doesn’t matter to me,” Cas said. Dean smiled. 

Whisper lifted her head and looked up at them. She opened her mouth, giving another silent meow.

“You know, that’s the cutest damn thing.” Dean smiled and scratched her head. He could feel her purring, even if they couldn’t hear her. She leaned into his touch before looking around.

“I think she’s looking for Ben,” Cas said.

“Probably. Oh boy, he’s creating a monster,” Dean chuckled.

“Yes, he is, but she deserves to be spoiled after such a rough start to life. And she will look pretty in her collar. Aristotle and Camille look cute in theirs.” Cas stroked the kitten. “I don’t think she’s a shorthair.”

“I think you’re right. You know who she’s going to look like?” Dean asked.

“Hmm?”

“Duchess from The Arisocats,” Dean replied. Cas grinned.

“You’re right! And Aristotle looks like O’Malley!”

“Yeah. I can’t remember all of the cats’ names. I haven’t seen the movie since I was a kid, but I know I liked it. She’s going to be beautiful when she grows up.” Dean scratched under Whisper’s chin and her eyes slid shut.

“The house is going to be great. I was a bit upset at first when you told me you were moving. I was hoping that first night I cooked for you that we could start dating but I wasn’t sure how that would work if you left, but then I started thinking about it and I realized most people don’t live across the hall from one another. We’ve just had it very convenient up until now. I’m going to miss not being able to just walk across the hall to your place, but I like the idea of spending time with you at the house even more. I can be as loud as I want, and draw even more noises from you,” Cas teased. Dean chuckled.

“Like you’re not already.”

Cas laughed and kissed Dean’s neck again. “True, but I hold back for now. Who knows if Marv is in the halls listening?”

Dean shuddered at the very thought. “Don’t even joke about that, it’s creepy!”

“How much of the kitchen is packed right now?” Cas asked. Dean sighed and looked over towards the room.

“Not even half.”

“What do you say we get started then?” Cas patted his leg and scooped Whisper up into his arms as he got up.

“Ugh, fine,” Dean moaned. He hated moving.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do hope you enjoyed this chapter. Leave a comment, let me know.


	9. Moving In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean is moving into the new house and Charlie got him a wonderful housewarming gift. They decide they wanted to cook on it so Cas and Ben make a run to the grocery store. The trip is not as pleasant as they expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's just say thank God for Ben here. Smart kid, thinks fast on his feet. Enjoy!

**SATURDAY**

“No, no, that goes upstairs in the master bedroom,” Dean said. Charlie looked at him over the top of the box. She’d been about to set it down on the living room floor until he said that.

“This is your Star Wars memorabilia, Dean. Do you really want to hide it upstairs?” she asked. He thought for a moment.

“Yeah, maybe you’re right. Put it in the corner, I’ll figure out shelves for it later.”

“Where do you want this?” Cas walked in carrying a box marked bathroom. Dean peeked in the box, determining it was towels. 

“I think the upstairs bathroom. Then I can move some down to the first floor bathroom.” 

Cas nodded and moved past him to head up the stairs. Other than the one time he had seen his boyfriend in sweatpants, this was only the second time he’d seen the man in pants. This time it was a pair of Dean’s jeans that pulled tight across the man’s muscular thighs. They almost hadn’t fit, but not because Cas was fat. It was because he was in shape and didn’t have skinny legs like Dean did. Dean loved the view, though he wasn’t going to give up on those kilts. 

Dean had all the boxes for the kitchen, and he was busy unpacking them. Ben had brought things over for his room and they were ordering a bed and other furniture from IKEA to make the room more to his liking. To make it a second home for him. The TV from Dean’s room was put in Ben’s along with the game system and Whisper’s box. It was an open concept house, and they had the truck unloaded. Now it was just a matter of moving boxes to the correct rooms and starting the process of unpacking. He looked up to see Charlie on the far side of the living room putting books on one of the built-in shelves on either side of the fireplace. The house was almost two thousand square feet, more than double the size of his apartment, and he knew he didn’t have enough things to fill the place up, but that was fine. One day, in the not too distant future, Cas would move in and he’d come with his own load of crap that they’d have to find room for, so it was best if until that time he just left the place looking bare. It brought a smile to his lips thinking about his future and knowing Cas would be in it. They just fit together so well. 

“What are you thinking about?” He was snapped out of his fantasy to see Cas walking in the room. Dean smiled and pulled him closer.

“I was thinking about you. You always make me smile.”

Cas smiled and wrapped his arms around Dean’s waist. “You make me smile, too.”

“What’s with the cuddling? There’s stuff to unpack.” Ben said as he walked in the kitchen. 

“Go help Charlie, or go unpack the upstairs bathroom,” Dean told him. Ben rolled his eyes before walking over to Charlie.

“She’s nice, by the way. I like Charlie,” Cas said.

“She’s pretty awesome.” Dean ran his hands down Cas’ back to cup his ass through the jeans. “You look so hot in these. All day I’ve been thinking about peeling them off you, but I love how good your legs and your ass look in them.” He kissed Cas’ jaw, smiling to himself when the man shivered.

“Save that for tonight. Till then, you’ll just have to fantasize.” Cas smacked his butt before pulling away and reaching into a box on the counter. He pulled out a blender.

“Where do you want this?”

“Where do you think it should go?” Dean asked as he leaned back against the counter to watch him.

“Well, you put the toaster oven there, and the microwave is on its own stand over there, so I think…” Cas set the blender down near the sink. “Easier clean up.”

Dean nodded and turned to reach into a different box, coming up with a small spice rack.

“Where should I put this?”

“Nowhere. If you expect me to cook in this kitchen, we’re getting a real spice rack,” Cas said, eyeing the one in Dean’s hand. It had only twelve spices, all of which were ones you could find in any standard kitchen. Dean grinned and put it back in the box.

“I like the sound of that.”

Cas looked up and smiled. “We can order one.”

“Works for me.” Dean agreed.

“Ok, books are now shelved. You mostly had your veterinary medicine textbooks. There’s not enough to even fill a full bookcase, so do you want me to put your Star Wars stuff on the other bookcase?” Charlie asked as she walked in.

“No. Cas’ books will go there eventually. I’m going to put up some floating shelves in here and hang the light sabers the same way you’d hang sword,.” Dean replied. Charlie’s eyebrows raised.

“I hadn’t realized Cas was moving in too. Are your books already in here somewhere? Did I miss a box?”

“No, I’m not moving in until my lease is up on my place. It’s going to give Dean and myself more time to adjust to being a couple and to get to know one another,” Cas replied.

“When is your lease up?” she asked.

“Eight months, give or take,” he replied. She smiled and nodded.

“That’s awesome. So, you doing a housewarming?” She looked at Dean expectantly.

“I am. I need to get a grill first, but I plan to have everyone over,” he said.

“Well, you might want to check out on the back deck.” She looked at her nails as she said it. 

“Red, what did you do?”

“Oh, I dunno, got you a pretty sweet housewarming present, maybe?” she smirked.

Dean turned and headed for the backdoor with Cas and Charlie on his heels. Stepping out onto the back deck he gasped. Sitting there was a brand new, stainless steel grill big enough to cook for a small army.

“Charlie! Oh my _God_! Thank you!” He grabbed her, squeezing her tight and spinning her around while Cas opened the lid to investigate.

“This is very nice. I’d like to cook on this too if it’s alright.”

“Of course, baby, you can cook on it all you want.” Dean told him as he set Charlie back on her feet and draped one arm over her shoulder.

“I expect some of your homemade burgers the next time I come over,” Charlie said as she poked him in the chest.

“Heck yeah! They’ll taste way better on this than on the indoor Foreman grill.”

“What do you say I run to the store and pick up some chicken breasts and ground beef now?” Cas asked.

“Yeah? I can whip up some burgers and stuff. Let me write out a short list.” Dean started back inside and they followed. Back in the kitchen he took down the notepad and attached pen that he had bought to keep on the fridge and began writing out a list. When he was finished he handed the list over to Cas. He was reaching for his wallet but Cass stopped him.

“I have this. Hey Ben? Want to run to the store with me?” he called out.

“Yeah, sure!” Ben stood up from where he’d been organizing Dean’s albums on a bottom shelf of the bookcase.

“We’ll be back in a few minutes.” Cas kissed Dean on the cheek and walked out the front door with Ben.

“Wow, you guys fit together nicely. He’s nice, too; I like him,” she said as she began pulling items out of a box on the floor. Within minutes she had all of his appliances stored in the cabinets.

“I’m so glad I finally met him. I was only drooling over him from the first moment I laid eyes on him.” He laughed as he began putting dish towels in a drawer.

“Sounds like you,” she chuckled. He grinned and started putting away the silverware.

Before Cas and Ben got back they had all of the kitchen unpacked. Part of him lamented that he didn’t own very much, despite having been in his apartment for five years, but part of him was glad he didn’t have more crap. He was a minimalist. Cas had more stuff than him anyway and they’d have to find room for all of that later too. They got the television hooked up and were watching Lord of the Rings when Ben came walking through the front door. He looked upset.

“You better go talk to Cas. Some guy was harassing him at the store and following us around. The cops had to come and remove the guy from the premises.” Ben motioned towards the door.

“Fuck, _Alex_.” Dean growled as he got up and headed outside. He found Cas sitting in his Lincoln with his head on the steering wheel. He jumped when the passenger door opened and Dean slid in.

“Hey, you ok?”

Cas lifted his head and looked up at the house through the windshield. “Yeah. It was unnerving and rather humiliating to have him show up like that. I’m sorry Ben had to witness that.”

“Ben’s a big boy,” Dean said.

“Ben’s the one that called the cops. I kept telling Alex to leave me alone but he’s _such_ an asshole! Didn’t believe me when I told him I was seeing someone. Called me a pathetic liar that was just trying to hurt him. Me! Trying to hurt _him_! Like I give a crap what he thinks! Ben defended me though. Said I was seeing his _dad_.” He turned to look at Dean. “I should have corrected him but I was busy at that point telling the police to get him out of there, that I have a restraining order against him. I have to file an official police report. They arrested him. I have to go down to the station with a copy of the order or they’ll release him.”

“Ben’s always wished I was his dad. It’s no biggie on that. But I’ll go grab my wallet, and we’ll go get that order and head to the station. Just give me a minute to tell Charlie, ok? We’ll make dinner when we get back.” Dean opened the passenger door to get out.

“Thank you, Dean. I really didn’t want to go down there alone. I was going to skip it just so I didn’t have to see him again,” Cas said quietly. Dean turned back and leaned over to kiss him.

“You don’t have to. My wallet’s on the nightstand. I’ll be right back.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back in the house Ben was putting the groceries they’d just bought away and Charlie was helping.

“I’m running down to the police station with Cas. We’ll be back in about an hour; I’ll make dinner then,” Dean said as he passed through on his way to the stairs.

“What happened at the store?” Charlie asked, looking at Ben. He shrugged.

“I’m not exactly sure. This guy came out of nowhere and just started calling Cas ‘baby’ and ‘love bug’ and Cas, he actually looked scared of the guy. Kept telling him to leave and kept mentioning a restraining order that the guy was breaking, but the guy wouldn’t leave. Kept apologizing to Cas and begging him to come home. Cas got really mad when the guy touched him and pushed him back. So I went around the corner and called the cops. Said my dad was being harassed by a guy he had a restraining order against and how he was laying a hand on Cas, and well, they came pretty quick. When Cas tried to tell the guy about Dean the guy flipped and called him a liar, said no one but him would ever want Cas. I couldn’t let it go so I said Cas was dating _my_ dad, and that it was true and they were in love and Cas was gonna be my other dad. The guy looked ready to have a stroke. Cops were there at that point and dude got arrested.” Ben had a smirk on his lips as he told the story. Charlie shook her head.

“Be back later, I have my phone if you need me!” Dean waved in their direction before heading out the door again.

“Sounds like Cas has a stalker ex. I’m sure Dean knows about it or he wouldn’t be this calm,” Charlie said.

“Yeah, I think he does. Cas said as much when I asked him on the ride back. But he was scared cause they want him to come down to the station with a copy of the restraining order. I knew Dean would go with him though.” Ben knew Dean would want to protect Cas. “Maybe he’ll get the guy to leave Cas alone once and for all.”

“I sure hope so,” Charlie sighed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter after this was where I was originally going to leave this off, but I have decided it does indeed need a few more chapters. I hope you're still enjoying the story.


	10. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cas and Dean have a talk, and Ben happens to overhear it.
> 
> Aka: FLUFF

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the story was supposed to end here, but I know you all are not going to be happy until Cas is living in the house with Dean, so I foresee at least one more chapter, once Cas' lease is up and he has moved in. I do hope you enjoy this chapter though.

Dean and Cas were talking and laughing as they walked through the front door a few hours later. Charlie and Ben looked up from their spots on the couch where they were watching Tron.

“Everything ok?” she asked.

“Oh yeah, everything is great,” Dean replied happily. 

“What happened?” Ben asked.

“Oh, I met the ex. Put him in his place. Said if I ever caught him harassing Cas again he’d have me to face. He thought Cas was lying in the store about being in a relationship. The guy is so full of himself, so narcissistic he honestly didn’t believe it was possible for Cas to move on after they’d broken up,” Dean explained.

“But I have, and I’m happier with Dean in the short time we’ve been together than I ever was in the nearly ten years I was with Alex. I see a future with Dean whereas with Alex I just saw myself settling. I was miserable; I just didn’t know it. He set me free when he cheated,” Cas said proudly. 

“So, I’ll go get started on dinner,” Dean said as he headed for the kitchen.

“Want me to start the grill?” Cas asked.

“Yep.”

Cas headed out to the yard while Dean started pulling ingredients out for the burgers.

“You gonna marry him??” 

He turned around to see Ben standing there.

“I’m not thinking about marriage yet. Don’t rush things.”

“Do you someday want to get married?” Ben asked.

“Someday, yes. Today, no,” Dean replied.

“Well duh.” Ben rolled his eyes.

“Put yourself to use. Get me out two eggs.” Dean nodded towards the fridge. Ben did as asked.

“I think you should put an island in here. You have the space for it,” he said.

“Yeah, but then I wouldn’t have room for a kitchen table.” 

Ben looked around the space. “Yeah, I guess. But you’d have more cooking space with an island.”

“Maybe. Cas loves to cook. If he wants one later, I’ll put one in,” Dean said.

“You wanted cheddar cheese for these, right?” Ben watched as Dean quickly prepped the meat, mixing in eggs and spices before setting the raw burgers on a wax paper lined plate.

“Yeah, they just taste better with sharp cheddar.” Dean looked around the kitchen. He had no idea where Charlie had put the flippers. After searching through the drawers and moving a few things around he found them. He grabbed one and the two plates of burgers before heading for the yard.

“I’m starving, I can’t wait to get these cooked,” Cas said as he took the flipper and one plate from Dean. He got the patties onto the grill and closed it.

“So how do you like the house? What do you think? You never really told me.” Dean wanted it to be a place Cas could be happy in, too.

“I like it. It has potential,” Cas replied.

“Anything you’d change?”

Cas thought over the few things he had noticed that he thought would be nice to change, but he didn’t want to offend Dean. Overall he really did like the house. Especially the large, finished basement. When he didn’t speak up right away, Dean piped up again.

“Ben thinks the kitchen could use an island, you know for more cooking space.” He frowned, realizing how stupid that sounded. Cas chuckled.

“Well, that’s generally what you use them for anyway, but yes, that could work, but then there would be no space for the kitchen table, but…” He tapped his chin as he thought. “The dining room is like huge. If you moved the wall a few feet or knocked the wall down altogether, there would be plenty of room for a large table, plus it would open the space up, and a good color palette would make everything flow nicely.”

Dean nodded, picturing it as Cas described it. “I was thinking maybe sliding glass doors too, and wrapping this deck around the side of the house since the yard wraps completely around. I can build the deck myself, and I think maybe I can install the sliding doors.”

“I apprenticed as a carpenter during college. I know my way around wood, no pun intended.” Cas winked and opened the grill to check on the burgers. They were ready to be flipped, so he turned them. Dean was laughing behind him, and he grinned when he turned back to look at him. 

“I can do some remodeling too. The bathrooms could use updating, and the electrical too, but the bones are good. I’d love to see if the fireplace works come fall. If it doesn’t, we…” He felt a swirl of excitement in his belly saying that. “Could hire someone to clean it make sure it’s sealed and working right. I’ve always wanted a fireplace.”

“It’s a nice area to raise a family, too, though I really thought when I agreed to buy it that I’d be spending the rest of my life alone,” Dean admitted. Cas set the flipper down and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend.

“I thought the same thing. Till I met you.”

Dean smiled as he pulled Cas closer. “If we work through the weekend I think Sunday night we can bring Aristotle and Camille. I will start them off in Ben’s room. He’s not gonna want to go home until Monday anyway. His school is closer to here than Lisa’s. Like a two minute walk, or less if I drive him. He’s going to want to curl up with the kittens, I just know it.”

“I think you’re right. Can I ask you a question?” Cas picked his head up to look Dean in the eye.

“Sure. What?”

“Are you _sure_ Ben’s not yours?” 

Dean gave a sad smile. “Yea, unfortunately he’s not. The timing was close. He really could have been mine, I mean, she cheated on me but we were still sleeping together. Thing is, I always used a condom with her. I was in college and was _not_ ready for kids. When we broke up I had no idea she was pregnant. It wasn’t until I ran into her later and she told me about Ben. When I met him I was like struck dumb, you know? He looks like he could be mine. So I kind of did a DNA test. I hoped he was mine. I wanted him to be mine. When the test came back negative…” He sighed and shook his head. “I cried. My heart broke a little. Later I realized it didn’t matter if there was a genetic link between us or not, I loved the kid like he was mine, so to me, he was mine. He was the part I felt most guilty about when his mother and I split. I wasn’t in love with Lisa, and I had finally come to realize I was gay and not just bi like I’d thought for so long, so staying with her, it wasn’t fair to her, and I didn’t want Ben to hope for something more. The night she and I talked, I asked…well, more like begged if I could still be in Ben’s life. I didn’t have to beg much though. Ben’s own dad didn’t want to step up and be his father, but I did. I love that kid more than I could ever explain. I just hope he knows how much I love him.”

“I do know, Dean. Why do you think I want to spend time with you? I don’t care that you’re not biologically my dad. You’re my dad.” 

Dean spun around to see Ben standing there, his hands stuffed in his pockets. His eyes were red rimmed.

“How much did you hear?” he asked. Ben smirked and shrugged.

“Most of it. It really doesn’t matter to me, Dean. You’re the only dad I’ve ever known, and frankly, I wouldn’t want another one. You’re too awesome to replace.”

Dean walked over and pulled the boy into a tight hug.

“Yeah, well, you’re too awesome to replace too. Even if I have more kids, you’re my first. Understand that?”

“Yeah.” Ben’s voice choked and he buried his face in Dean’s chest.

“You know, you’re two of the sappiest people I know,” Cas teased. Dean released Ben and laughed.

“Yeah, well, we hug maybe once a decade, so that’s our sappy moment till Ben gets married and I do a toast.” 

Ben sniffled and nodded. “Right. Or you know, maybe when I graduate college. That’d be cool too.”

Cas checked the burgers again. “Time for cheese.”

Ben held up the package of cheddar. “Charlie sent me out here with it.”

Dean took it and handed it over to Cas, who put a slice on each burger before closing the lid.

“We need clean plates,” Cas announced. Ben took the plates from the raw burgers back into the house and returned a minute later with the buns and two new plates.

“Charlie said to bring these out too.” He handed it all over to Dean and watched as the two men got all the burgers onto the buns. Cas turned the grill off and they headed inside. Something was cooking and when they walked in the kitchen they found Charlie cooking a veggie burger for herself.

“I made some fries, they’re in the oven.” She told them.

“Fries in the oven?” Cas asked.

“We don’t fry, much as I’d love to. I only eat them fried if I go out and get them from a fast food place,” Dean replied. Cas nodded.

“Never had them baked,” he admitted.

“They have oil still, they’re just better for you this way,” Charlie said.

“Hey kiddo, set the table.” Dean ruffled Ben’s hair just as the alarm went off on his phone.

“Time to feed Whisper?” Cas asked. 

“Yeah, you want to go grab her?” 

Cas nodded and left to get her.

“So I’ll be over here more since now you have a real kitchen and we can listen to movies in surround sound,” Charlie declared as she moved her burger to a clean plate.

“I don’t have surround sound,” Dean said.

“But you will.” She was smug in her assumption, and Dean chuckled.

“Yeah, it would be nice.”

Cas came back downstairs with a squirming, hungry kitten in his hands. Dean was already putting together her formula and heating it up for her. Cas held her until Dean had the bottle ready. He took it and sat down on the couch to feed her.

“Damn I’m a lucky man,” he told himself as he watched Cas cater to the hungry kitten’s needs with absolute patience. This was his future, except someday he saw Cas sitting there holding their own child, feeding it and cradling it, maybe as cats lounged across the back of the couch sleeping. How could he forget the cats after all, they were the reason he and Cas had gotten together. So worth the occasional itchy eyes in his book.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for not putting this up sooner. I've been nonstop writing and posting and....I burned out. I just needed a few days to myself to decompress. I haven't been sleeping as well as I would like, and I've been plagued lately by strange dreams and a few nightmares. I've been averaging anywhere from 4 to 7 hours of sleep each night, and I am the kind of person that needs 9 to 10 in order to function. So yeah, I'm an exhausted mess. 
> 
> On the plus side, I have started a promising new fic, though I took a break from even that today. It's going to be a very slow burn, and I've been brainstorming constantly with the lovely Monijune over it. I have other fics to add epilogues to, plus 3 more that I'm continuing to write for, so it'll be a while before I start posting that one. That'll give me time to get more of it written. 
> 
> I just want you all to know that I did not disappear. I just am tired and needed a break for a few days. I love you guys and I hope you liked this chapter. Leave me a comment, let me know what you think.


	11. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is three years later, as Cas and Dean experience life together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promised this, and here it is. I am feeling a bit better. Still not sleeping nearly as much as I need to, but at least I'm somewhat functional again, lol. I hope you enjoy this last chapter and that it leaves you as warm and fuzzy as the rest of the story did. Enjoy!

**3 Years Later**

Dean was running late. Benny was going to have his hide if he didn’t get to the clinic on time but of course a pipe busted when he went to turn on the shower and practically flooded the bathroom before Cas could get the water shut off. Then they’d worked together to mop up all the water. Cas was calling a plumber but Dean was left with no breakfast, no pre-made lunch, and no shower. And he was running late. It wasn’t a great start to the day. He dressed quickly, kissed Cas goodbye, and left.

Thankfully the morning appointments all went much more smoothly than he had anticipated. By noon his stomach was growling. Jo and Lauren were working that day, and he passed them as they were taking their lunch in the breakroom, giving a quick wave as he headed to his office. His intention was to order something to be delivered so he’d have something to eat after his next appointment but as he sat down at his desk and reached for his wallet, he realized it was gone. So was his cell phone.

“Christ, what _else_ is going to go wrong?” he groaned. Someone knocked at the door. “Come in.”

Cas walked through the door carrying a bag of food and a drink. He was smiling.

“You forgot a few things this morning. I figured you must be starving by now.” 

Dean got up and walked over to him, pulling him into a hug. “I’m starving! How did you know?” He took the drink and the bag of food. If he hurried he could eat whatever was in the bag before his next appointment, which was in fifteen minutes.

“Well, for starters, after I called in to work so I could wait for the plumber, I spotted your wallet and phone still sitting on the nightstand. When I got downstairs, I saw nothing in the fridge had been touched. I knew you’d be ravenous by dinner time, so I got Priscilla from two doors down to come and stay with the plumber so I could bring you something to eat. I also brought your wallet and phone. You can’t be driving without your license.” Cas reached into his sporran and pulled out the aforementioned items. As Dean hastily ate his burger, Cas tucked the phone and wallet into the pockets of his pants.

“Plumber can fix the issue though?” Dean asked around a mouthful of fries. Cas nodded.

“He said the pipes inside the walls are older. He’s replacing them with PVC, but it’s up to us to re-tile. Good thing we wanted new tile in that bathroom anyway.”

“How much is it going to cost?” Dean shoved another handful of fries in his mouth. When he peeked in the bag he saw a second burger in there. It made him smile.

“A lot. The plumber is $75 an hour, plus parts. He’s been at it three hours already, but I was practically breathing down his neck the entire time, so he wasn’t lying when he said we actually had two other cracked pipes. I saw the cracks myself. I told him to go ahead and fix all of it. If we have no further issues, the cost is worth it,” Cas replied. 

“Yeah, ok. I was banking on it being around $500 anyway. But if he can fix it all, good.”

“Will you be home on time tonight?” Cas asked.

“I should be, as long as there aren’t any last minute walk-ins. I don’t have anything scheduled for after four, but that doesn’t mean clients won’t show up.” Dean grabbed the second burger and opened the wrapper.

“Ok, good. I made a pot roast; it’s in the crock pot. I’ll make roasted garlic red potatoes and asparagus to go with it, but I’ll start those around four, that way they’re fresh and hot when you get home.”

Dean set the burger down and wrapped his arms around Cas’ waist, pulling him closer.

“You spoil me, you know that?” he asked, smiling. Cas smiled back before leaning in to kiss him.

“Yes, but you deserve it. And I like spoiling you.”

“Any word from Bethany?” Dean asked as he rubbed his nose against Cas’.

“Yes, actually. Doctor’s visit went fine. We’re at forty weeks as of tomorrow,” Cas replied excitedly. 

“I can’t wait. I need to finish the nursery. We’re going to be fathers. I can hardly believe it.” Dean found Cas’ hand and linked his own with it. They wore matching silver bands, something he’d never grow tired of looking at. They’d been married two years now, and he loved Cas as much as he did at the beginning of their relationship.

“Some more things arrived today for the nursery too. Oh, and don’t forget Ben is staying with us this weekend. His finals start next week, and you promised to help him,” Cas reminded him. Dean nodded. Ben was thriving at the university and almost finished with his first year. They were very proud of him.

“Well, I promised Priscilla I wouldn’t be long, so I’m going to go home. If anything happens, I’ll call. I’ll see you tonight, sweetheart.” Cas leaned in and kissed him before starting for the door. Dean smiled as he watched his husband leave. Today was a dark gray utilikilt, and the man looked damn good in it.

“I’ll see you tonight, babe.” 

Dean finished off his second burger and half of his drink before going to wash his hands. His next appointment was due in two minutes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Cas?” Dean called out as he walked in the front door.

“In the kitchen!”

Dean took his shoes off and unbuttoned his shirt as he went in search of his husband. Cas was checking the roast but he looked up, smiling when Dean walked in.

“How was your day?” Cas asked.

“It was pretty good. Nothing out of the ordinary. I got to see Big Bertha again. I think she remembered me. Didn’t want me to put her down,” Dean chuckled. Cas laughed.

“She never does. How old is she now? She has to be pretty big at this point.”

“She’s huge! Close to eight feet, and still a gentle girl. She’s nine now. The moment she scented me she came right to me. It was sweet. Her owner gets a kick out how much she likes me.” Dean pulled out his phone and opened up his gallery. “I got her owner, Ned, to take a picture.” He held out the phone, and Cas wiped his hands on the dish towel draped over his shoulder before taking it. 

“Wow, she’s so beautiful! Burmese python, right?” he asked.

“Yep, albino. She’s my buddy,” Dean chuckled.

“She trusts you. All animals do though. It’s wonderful watching you with them.” Cas sent the photo to his own phone. Later he’d print it out and frame it so they could hang it up at the clinic. Thanks to Cas there were photos of Dean and Benny with a variety of their patients hanging all over the waiting room. It made everything much more personable for the customers and had only helped to increase the popularity of the clinic. Whenever Cas printed out a new picture they changed them out, so they were always being updated.

A bump against Dean’s ankle told him someone else was happy he was home. He looked down to see Whisper rubbing against his leg. Camille was hurrying over too. She didn’t like being left out of things. He bent down to scratch them both behind the ears.

“Where’s Aristotle?” he asked.

“Oh, probably lounging on Ben’s bed. They always seem to know when he’s coming,” Cas replied. Dean stood back up and stripped out of his shirt.

“I’m going to change and take a shower. I’ll be down in a little while.”

“You have to use the downstairs bathroom. The pipes are done, but we have to fix the tiling,” Cas said.

“Alright, that’s fine, as long as I get a shower.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dean went up to the bedroom and grabbed clothes for after the shower. He took them to the downstairs bathroom and got the shower started. As he waited for the water to warm up Aristotle appeared. He hopped up on the sink and meowed to get Dean’s attention.

“What’s the matter, Buddy, you just need some love?” Aristotle purred and bumped his head against Dean’s arm until he turned to pet him. Aristotle was his shower pal. No one could take a shower or bath unless he was in the room with them. He was the official water tester and supervisor. He made sure the shampoo bottles floated and the wash cloths stayed wet. Dean stripped and got into the shower. Immediately Aristotle jumped up to walk back and forth between the curtain and the liner. Dean smirked as he saw the cat’s form but ignored him as he went about washing his hair and body. Twice the conditioner bottle was pushed into the tub and twice he had to retrieve it, but he was used to it. It came with the territory of living with cats. He snagged the washcloth before it was stolen and finished his shower. After dressing and having Aristotle chase his toes as he walked back to the kitchen, he joined Cas for dinner. Just as they were finishing eating they heard keys in the front door.

“Did you save him some?” Dean asked. Cas nodded.

“Of course.” 

“Hey!” Ben greeted them a minute later as he walked into the kitchen.

“Hey, kiddo, classes ok?” Dean asked.

“Yes…and no.” Ben sat down opposite Cas and sighed heavily. “I’m only pulling a C in biology. How can I suck in biology if I’m majoring in science?” 

“We’ll get you up to speed, don’t worry. Did you bring your homework?” Cas had already fixed a plate for Ben and was setting it down in front of him.

“I did, and I brought all the previous papers I’ve done and tests I’ve taken. I thought maybe they could help.” Ben patted the bag he had set down on the floor next to his chair.

“Well, you eat; let me take a look at them,” Dean told him.

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Dean took Ben’s bag to the living room with him where he went over the papers while Ben chatted at the table with Cas. Whisper curled up in his lap as he looked at them, and he scratched absently at her ears. She purred contentedly as he picked out the spots where Ben was struggling. When Cas and Ben joined him they went over the papers together. 

The rest of the weekend was spent going over Ben’s coursework and helping him write a paper on bacterial binary fission. When he left Sunday night, Cas and Dean kicked back to watch a movie. Living in the house together had come easier to them than they had expected. Cas had ended up moving in before the lease was even up on his apartment, and just paying the rent until the lease ended. Dean was glad to have him all the sooner, and they quickly turned the house into a home. Marriage had been a natural step when Dean realized he wasn’t happy with just a domestic partnership arrangement. Last year they had decided they wanted a baby. They debated on adoption or surrogacy and decided since they wanted more than one child, they would do both. They were on a waiting list for adoption when they found a surrogate. Bethany Miller was a sweet lady, the mother of three who had been friends with Cas for years. She was a professor at the university and had offered to do it for them since she had been the surrogate for another family three years earlier. Now she was carrying their child, and she was due any day now. They were excited for their family to grow and even Ben was excited. The nursery was nearly complete, only the crib and swing still needed to be set up. Dean couldn’t wait to bring their son or daughter to the clinic to start teaching them about animals, and Cas was just as eager to immerse their child in history and literature. Ben teased them that if they pushed too hard they’d end up with kid that hated school and wanted to sit around all day watching cartoons and eating pizza. Dean teased him back that he had just described himself.

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It was three days later when Bethany went into labor. They were both at work when they got the call, but they dropped everything and rushed to the hospital. Ben and Charlie showed up as well. Lisa was working and stopped by to make sure everything was ok for the two dads, and that they didn’t have a heart attack before their baby was even born. The labor was fast and at 6:56 p.m. Nathaniel Thomas Novak-Winchester was born weighing eight pounds, fifteen ounces. He was the most beautiful thing they had ever seen in their lives. 

The next forty-eight hours were a whirlwind. Grandparents drove in, and Sam made a special trip out to see his new nephew. Cas’ brother came as well. He still was not on speaking terms with his sister, though he heard from his brother that she had sent well wishes. Once they had their son home, people stopped by with more frequency, bringing gifts and well wishes for the new parents. Staff stopped by from the university and of course Benny and his wife stopped by as well as the rest of their staff. They had a hard time getting Jo to leave each time she came over; she was head over heels in love with little Nate.

They had chosen to use a mixture of both their sperm and leave it up to chance as to who was the biological father to Nate, though within three months they both knew it was Dean. He was the spitting image of his father, right down to the blonde hair and green eyes, and the older he got, the more he looked like Dean. He was a happy baby, hardly ever fussing, and his fathers were totally and completely head over heels in love with him. 

There were three other members of the Novak-Winchester family that were in love with the new addition too. Aristotle became Nate’s bath buddy, sitting on the edge of the tub as one or the other of his fathers bathed him, knocking toys into the tub and making the baby burst into giggles. When once he lost his footing and fell in, Cas panicked, thinking the cat would go nuts at getting wet, but instead he just sat down and began pawing at one of the toy boats floating about. After that they had a hard time keeping him out of the water.

Camille was the protector. She followed Nate closely as he learned to roll over, then sit up, and when he began to walk, she became like a shadow, stalking his every move and if he went somewhere she didn’t like, she would meow loudly until someone came to get the baby. Dean and Cas knew their son was safe as long as “Mama” was around.

Whisper kept Nate warm. From the day they brought him home she would curl up at his side, never lying on top of him, and fall asleep, purring gently. On the rare occasions when the baby would grow fussy, Whisper would curl into the crook of the baby’s arm, lay a paw over his chest and start purring. Even when he got big enough to grab handfuls of her long, white fur, she never once grew angry or impatient. She was able to calm him at times when even his fathers were not able, such as when he was sick or teething. To Dean the cats had become vital members of the family. To Cas they had been family right from the start. 

Three weeks after Nate’s second birthday they received word of a child that was in need of a home. It was three-year-old little girl whose parents had been abusive and neglectful, and she was behind physically and developmentally. They went to meet Arielle, and it was love at first sight. They had wanted a child who might otherwise not find a loving family, and they got their wish. Arielle joined their family, and by her fourth birthday she was talking, potty trained, and playing happily with her brother and the cats, who had taken a liking to the little girl right away. Two years later a three-legged puppy named Jack, the victim of a hit and run, joined the family. The cats weren’t thrilled with him at first, especially when he kept trying to use their tails as chew toys, but they eventually accepted him.

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Ben graduated with his BA in science and started veterinary school. Dean was incredibly proud of him, and cheered even louder than Lisa at the graduation ceremony. Cas and Lisa just looked on and laughed.

The same year Jack joined the family, another child came up for adoption and they were asked if they might be interested. A little boy named David had been born with cerebral palsy, and his parents had decided they couldn’t handle that, so they put him up for adoption. The moment Cas and Dean met David, they knew he belonged in their family. For them, they thought their family was finally complete, but a year later they learned of a little girl named Savannah who had lost her entire family in a house fire, and she had been burned over three quarters of her body. She was two and had spent nearly a year already in the hospital getting treatment for her burns. Dean and Cas adopted her. Their family was now complete. They had four beautiful, intelligent children, three rambunctious cats and a dog that drove Dean’s allergies as nuts as the cats did, but whom the entire family loved to pieces. That was the life and family Dean had always envisioned, and he felt incredibly blessed to finally have that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this lived up to expectations and that you all enjoyed it. Comments of course are welcome. I wanted to end this all on a happy note, and I wanted their lives filled with children and happiness.

**Author's Note:**

> So I hope you enjoy this fic. Kudos and comments are always welcome!


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